Broken Arrow
by alexajaye
Summary: Edward is a professional assassin for Aro. He's ordered to kill Charlie, Renee and Bella Swan, but he can't. He won't. Now his new target . . . is Aro. All he has to do is make it out alive. All EPOV - AH - OOC - M for language, violence, a few lemons.
1. Prologue

******With this story, I tried to do something different. I know there are a lot of assassin/spy stories out there, but I got this idea and couldn't stop thinking about it. The chapters should all be short unless I feel the need to do a two-part chapter and split it up.**

**This will mostly be told in Edward's perspective. It's also very mature. I'll mark each chapter with its own warnings, but mostly, we'll have all the big ones - language, violence(starting in the first chapter), sex and anything else that might crop up. Don't say I didn't warn you.  
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**I'll post the prologue and the first chapter together. I hope you like it.  
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**Prologue**

Life is simple.

I kill. I get paid. I don't look back.

I'm not supposed to care about the people I'm told to kill.

Not supposed to think about what I leave behind.

Not supposed to give a shit whether it ends one way or another.

I'm a tool. A weapon. And I'm okay with that.

That doesn't even begin to explain why I'm sitting holed up with an eighteen-year-old kid in the basement of my mother's family home.

It doesn't explain why I have a price on my head for nearly five million dollars if I'm brought in alive with a dead girl in tow.

My father has told me several times in the last 72 hours that if I don't make a decision, he'll have to call it in.

I know he means it. There's only one problem.

I've already made my choice. And he isn't going to like it.

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**Short but to the point. Enticing enough?**

**Let me know.  
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	2. What I do

******I'm thinking of doing all the backtracking and then go from there. This particular chapter has violence and language no suitable for younger readers.**

**I hope you like it.  
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**I don't own Twilight. I'm just playing with her characters.  
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**What I do**

**Six days ago**

I'm sitting in the middle of nowhere — Siberia to be exact — watching my breath billow in front of me as my gloved hand grips my weapon. I'm also freezing my ass off, and the only thing keeping me company is the asinine voice of my partner as he makes a circle around our perimeter.

"Who the hell would want to come out here?" he complains. "It's so fucking cold."

I exhale. More breath billows. I'm not really cold. My body has been conditioned to withstand extreme hot and cold. I've gone days without food and more than four days without sleep.

It's the middle of January, and a glitch in my brain tells me I should be cold. But I'm not.

The soft crunch of snow under the body of a four-door old model BMW reaches my ears as I sit hunkered down in the bushes next to a road that leads to a safe house in the middle of this . . . winter wonderland.

"They're here," I announce to him over communication.

My partner cackles. "Finally."

"Don't run back," I warn. "I can handle it. I don't need you making noise."

The car's closer, and I grip my weapon tighter. It's a simple weapon. Though I'm supposed to kill the target in the car, it's not until the car's immobile. Right now, I just get the first shot at the car.

"Why do you always get the first one?" my partner whines.

"Because I'm the better shot," I say simply.

I can see the car's headlights, and I move into place to be closer to the road. My silencer is already in place, and I aim for the back left passenger tire. If it had been left up to me, I could shoot the target and no one else in the car would know he was dead. But I've been asked to handle this delicately. Me, I have no problem with, but my partner, he's another issue by himself.

I'm usually partial to automatic weapons over long distances. I don't like being so close. And if I didn't have to tow another person along with me, I'd be far enough away to blow the car apart.

"I'm so much better at this than you are," he counters.

Quickly and quietly, I hit the tire and hear the hiss of air that escapes. I grin and watch the car move on like nothing happened. "He's coming your way — back left tire should be flat by then."

He huffs, and I can hear him settling into place further down the road. "This shit fucking sucks," he complains. "We should just kill him already."

I stand from my hiding spot, stepping out onto the road and seeing the bright red tail lights glimmer against the falling snow. The first thing I want to do is pull off the ridiculous white gear I'm currently bundled inside, but we're not finished. The white shit stays.

"That's not what Aro wants," I remind my overzealous partner. "It's not what the Council wants. So we don't kill him until the time is right."

A loud huff echoes in my ear, but he doesn't argue again. For this, I'm grateful, especially as I make my way down the road to follow the car.

My partner's first job is to shoot the front left passenger tire, further hindering the driver's ability to control the car. I just hope he doesn't get trigger-happy and jump the gun, so to speak.

In the distance, I hear the tiny thump of a bullet hitting a tire and then the hiss of air seeping through the dense precipitation. I move faster, getting closer and watching the car begin its struggle to stay on the path. I can imagine the driver cursing in Romanian along with his passengers as the ride becomes bumpy and uncomfortable.

It's actually kind of funny.

Stefan and Vladimir Urzică have been enemies of my employer for many years, and they're always on the move. Finding them has been the most arduous task I've ever endeavored to complete, but I'm good at what I do. I've only been tracking him a month. That's less than a fourth the time anyone else has been on his trail. I'm so close to finishing this job. My partner had better not fuck it up.

"You know what I'm gonna do after this," he chuckles in my ear. "Take my cut and fly to Tahiti for a fucking month. Bang some exotic pussy. Drink a shitload of tequila and not answer my phone until I've had enough."

I grimace at the image he's now planted in my brain. The thought of him sexing up some strange tropical woman who probably doesn't speak English makes my skin crawl. He does this every time we go somewhere cold. Honestly, I wouldn't give two shits about what he does with his time off, but when I have to resort to being the ear he likes to bend, it leaves a disgusting taste in my mouth.

I kill people for a living. Yes. I get paid a lot of fucking money to do it. Yes. But I'm not an asshole. Despite my line of work, I do actually possess a moral compass.

"You can do whatever the hell you want," I assure him. "You'll be doing it alone, because I'll probably be doing something healthy — like rock climbing or horseback riding."

"Edward Masen Cullen, do I detect a hint of sarcasm in your voice?" he taunts.

"No."

Walking further down the road, I aim for my next target — the rear driver's side tire. We've been ordered to handle this delicately and leave no witnesses. This means everyone in the car has to die. Through no more effort than what it took to follow this car from the nearest town, I know there are four people in the car.

There's the driver, obviously. The front passenger is a guard for Stefan from their headquarters in Bucharest. Stefan himself is sitting behind the driver. The fourth passenger? Stefan's wife Irina.

Normally, I don't target innocent bystanders. My partner doesn't have the same qualms, and between the two of us, he's taken more innocent lives than I can count. I'm a little ashamed to admit that I've let him do it. But I'm not only paid to kill. I'm paid to keep my mouth shut and do as I'm told. I've never strayed. It's one of the few reasons I'm still alive.

Tonight, I'm not only satisfied that I'll be ridding the known world of a sadistic maniac who's well-known for drug trafficking and prostitution; I'll also be putting down a gold-digging, cheating whore who would sooner sell her sister to pay off her own debts than to own up to the fact that she used to belong to a prestigious family.

That's for another time.

"He's slowing down."

I halt in my advance, remaining completely still as the tail lights of the car burn brightly. In my hands, the weapon I hold will look like nothing but a shadow in the distance, and as the car slows to a pronounced crunch over the packed snow, I watch and wait.

It feels like minutes pass before the driver's door opens, and the air is polluted with Romanian profanity. I only know this because I've been in Romania for probably two months, following Stefan since he's the elder brother and holds most of the power between him and Vladimir. The driver surveys the back right tire, cursing again and moving around to the left side of the car.

Slowly, I raise my weapon, silencer attached as I aim for his head and squeeze the trigger beneath my gloved index finger. A sharp ping echoes through the thick falling snow, and he drops with a soft groan.

"He's down," I relay to my partner.

He chuckles, closer to the car than I am.

As a trained sharp shooter with the patience to go with it, I've been in worse conditions than this. I'm like the mail man — neither rain, nor snow can stop me. In fact, the more extreme and miserable the weather, the more my instincts kick in so I'm able to work without compromise. If only my partner worked this way. He can complain like a champ and does so whenever the opportunity arises.

My steady gait toward the car aside, I have to take my time. Aro wants this one to send a clear message to Stefan and Vladimir. They've been enemies for decades — longer than I've been alive, and this is the first time Aro has had the upper hand. This is the first time he's had me at his disposal.

The front passenger door opens, allowing the large, hulking guard out into the sub-zero temperatures. He also curses in Romanian, spotting the driver and instantly becoming cautious. He pulls his own weapon from a holster inside his coat, scanning the horizon for an invisible killer. The snow is too thick and I'm too far away for him to see me. My partner is chuckling again, and as I observe from far enough away to remain unseen, I watch the guard's head snap back with another sharp ping a split second before he also crumbles to the ground.

A high-pitched scream pierces the air from the guard's open car door, and I recognize Irina's voice instantly. She's surprised and probably scared.

"Guard's down."

"Stay where you are," I command, moving a little faster now that two large obstacles have been eliminated from the equation of killing Stefan.

He groans annoyingly, but I persist.

"Stay where you are, James. You'll get the last shot."

"Yeah, putting down a useless, stupid, fucking bitch. I hate that you always get the better targets."

To this, I don't respond, now less than six meters from the car.

The driver's side back passenger door opens, allowing my target to step out into the moist, cold air. Vapor billows around his head as he takes in his surroundings, and his eyes try to find me. I'm not as far away as I was moments earlier, but he's squinting like he's trying to focus on an unfixed point in space.

Stefan is only a few years younger than Vladimir, but it doesn't show. To me, they both look like old men. Stefan is probably 5'9" with a receding hairline and thinning black-grey hair. His beady eyes remind me of a mouse's, and he's no better than that, nipping and chirping at everything that moves like he's on a landmine. He deserves to be crawling on the floor, scrounging for scraps.

I close the distance slowly until he knows for certain I'm there in front of him, and I know he has his own weapon on his body. He's too scared to reach for it.

"Stefan," Irina cries.

"Shut up, woman," he commands, his eyes never leaving mine.

I don't have to say anything. He knows why I'm here, scurrying back into the car while leaving the door open. From the other side of the car, my partner, James, comes from his hiding place to stand at the other door.

"I can give you anything you want," he offers. "I have money and women and power. It's all yours. Please."

I lower my weapon into the car then, pressing the tip of my silencer to his temple.

"Stefan!"

"Shut up, you worthless whore!"

James opens her door, and she screams again.

A glint of silver flashes from her hand, and before I can react, she stabs James in his thigh in an effort to defend herself. He yells and curses, ripping his headgear off and pulling her out of the car.

"James," I admonish.

"Get on your knees, slut," he orders.

Stefan moves to get out, but before he can, I press against his temple harder. He huffs, clenching his jaws and restraining himself from even shifting his weight. Decisions flicker through my head, and I have decide what's more important. James is now acting like the dick he is, and I have to keep this from getting too far out of control. Kill Stefan or stop James.

My training wins, and before another minute can pass, I grab Stefan's coat to hold him still as I squeeze the trigger beneath my finger. He grunts, going limp in my grip, and I let him go as Irina screams again.

"Please," she cries. "I did nothing."

James lowers his weapon to her forehead and aims to hit her between the eyes. He barely gives her cries time to reach my ears, killing her instantly. The bullet hits her skull with a hard thwack, and she falls back into the knee-deep snow already on the ground. I have to look away, but I know that sound. I'll always know that sound.

Cold, dead air fills the space around us, and I pull my headgear off before moving around to his side. A large black stain is spreading down his left thigh and a little pig-sticker knife is jutting out from his leg. He's barely noticed, moving forward to grab Irina's body and then shoving her into the car without shutting the door. The motor of the car is still running, but as soon as the gas runs out, there will be four bodies freezing in the snow, probably for days before anyone finds them.

"Are you fucking insane?" I shout at him. "You could've blown the whole thing!"

"She stabbed me!"

"You were supposed to shoot her in the car, you prick. Now there's blood out here, and they'll move Vlad to another safe house."

James sighs. He knows he messed up, but then he slouches and leans against the car. Instinct replaces my anger, and I reach into the car to find something for his leg. If I don't at least tie it off, he'll lose too much blood for us to make it back to the jeep. I steal the belt holding Irina's coat together, pulling my gloves off and then kneeling in front of James to tend to his wound. I've had to do this quite a few times before, and I'm getting annoyed at having to continue the action every time we do another job.

He's a fucking hothead and doesn't care that he puts us both in jeopardy of being caught when he lets his temper get the best of him.

I tie off his leg as tight as I can under the circumstances, and he whines the entire time.

"Jesus, Edward, don't cut off my leg. I'll need it to walk on the beach with my exotic chick."

I smirk up at him, finishing and rising to gather everything I've had to put down because of him. Replacing my gloves, I tie my headgear to my coat and then holster my weapon, reaching for him so that his injured leg is on the inside next to mine.

"You're worse than a pitbull," I grunt as we walk. "Did you at least get the charge planted?"

"Of course," he says, sounding a little too proud off himself.

I look at him, and he smiles. "Well, asshole, don't pause on my account."

As we stumble away from the car, he pulls a switch from his coat pocket and aims it back at the car which is still running.

Though slightly muffled by the thick snow, the car erupts in a heap of fire, metal and glass, spraying in every direction and reaching sky high as the engine whines and groans under the pressure of the heat engulfing it completely. The warmth and light of the explosion causes the inside of my coat to fill with condensation, and I'm sweating within seconds. I keep walking, and James limps at my side.

"I love my job," he gloats.

I usually agree with him, but tonight, I'm too pissed at him. "No shit," I say cynically.

Half an hour later, I'm driving down the same road we were both just perched next to, making good use of the snow tires I put on the day before the storm hit. After using better supplies from a trauma kit in the back seat of our field vehicle which is probably the most expensive ATV I've ever driven, James is leaned back in the passenger seat with his left leg wrapped in gauze and an ace bandage.

I'm not an Emergency Medical Technician by any means, but I know my way around thanks to my father. James will be fine until we make it to the nearest town which is probably an hour away. The wound wasn't that deep, and it missed his femoral artery by about an inch. He'll be sore once he's gotten stitches, but I'm not worried. He bounces back about as fast as I do.

Being in Siberia means we have to trust the local population with our intel, but it also means we can take advantage of our surroundings. No one knows us here, and their hospitality isn't lost on us. Ask the local woman James coaxed into his bed the night before we left to follow Stefan. I spent the night going over tactical advantages in the area. He got his brains fucked out until he wore her down. I heard them through the wall.

Again, he leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The snow lets up just as we're pulling into the small town where we stayed two nights ago, and I make a point to park in front of a different Inn from the one we stayed at previously. It's part of our routine, but I also want to avoid ending up in the situation I found myself in two night ago. I need a good night's sleep before we get back on the road to our check point in Moscow. At that point, we'll have to start again to find Vladimir, but I'm not worried. The organization Stefan and Vladimir belong to isn't renowned for it's clandestine operations.

Urzică blood isn't worth much to them. Not as much as it is to Aro.

The check point in Moscow is a good 24 hours away driving, and even though I don't want to be in the jeep that long with James, it's our safest bet.

"Man, I am so fucking exhausted," James informs me as we park.

"Does this mean I'm actually going to get some sleep tonight?" I tease.

He smiles wide. "Maybe."

I unpack everything we have which isn't much, leaving him in the jeep while I secure our rooms, and I take note of the primitive television behind the counter along with an ancient telephone next to the register before taking our keys and stepping outside to retrieve James. We had to change his pants in the jeep, so now he's wearing standard black, but the bandage is bulky around his thigh. I hope no one notices.

It's a little less than difficult to get him to his room and comfortable with a dose of pain medication before I turn in and take a shower in the tiny bathroom afforded to me. I can't stop the images of our assignment playing over in my mind, and I'm thanking whatever instincts and training I have left that neither of us was killed tonight. This game James is playing keeps getting worse, and I'm worried next time won't be so easy to get out of. Next time, something will tip the scales. For him or me, I don't know yet.

My phone is buzzing as I step out of the bathroom dripping wet, and though I'm usually rather modest about standing naked in the middle of a strange room, only one person would be calling me now. The local time on my phone says it's almost three in the morning, but if I go forward or backward, it could easily be morning or the middle of the night where he is.

"Cullen."

"Edward, my protégé," Aro exclaims with a high pitched laugh. "You're still awake. I haven't interrupted anything, have I?"

I cradle the phone between my ear and shoulder, pulling on a pair of jogging pants. "Of course not."

"That's what I like to hear. And I need you back at my office as soon as possible."

Confused, I sit over the bed. "But we're not finished with this," I argue.

Normally, I wouldn't have the balls to talk out of turn, but I'm the best Aro has, and it gives me certain privileges.

"I know, dear boy, but I have something only you can do for me, and it must be remedied now. I'll have more details when you arrive, but right now, this is your priority. Understood?"

"Of course."

"Good. I'll see you when you get back."

"Yes, sir."

He hangs up before I can react, and I turn off my phone feeling even more confused. Another hit? More important that taking out Vladimir? What could possibly more important than that?

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**Anyone who's taken my poll should have a gist of how this story goes down, but dare I ask, do you know how? And why?**

**The next chapter will be up next week about this time.  
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**Let me know what you think. Later!  
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	3. New Assignment

**I hope everyone's having a great morning, because it's raining cats and dogs outside right now! Okay, so I know there wasn't much to go on with the last chapter. But we're learning more here, and I hope you can get into this one a little better. **

**Thanks to everyone who put this on your alerts and favorites. And thanks to Kgunter34 for reviewing!  
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**Now, I don't own Twilight, but if anyone asks, I'm the one who put the gun in Edward's hand. Warnings are mostly for language this time.  
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**Also, this is un-beta'd, so any mistakes you see (there better not be any) are all mine.  
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**New Assignment**

Volterra is a sight for sore eyes when James and I climb out of the Jeep that we drove here from Rome. I haven't been in the city in almost three months, conferencing with Aro over the phone and sending progress reports to him through a satellite link not even the Italian government knows exists.

I want to shower and shave, but before any of that can happen, I have to see Aro.

Demetri and Felix are waiting for us at the gate, taking the Jeep with our things while we step onto an elevator situated inside the most modern building in Volterra. It looks more out of place than the Jeep I just got out of, but with the money Aro makes, he'd been making a few modifications.

Gianna is sitting behind a massive mahogany receptionist desk, and she smiles when she sees me. I've been dodging her advances since before I left Volterra three months ago. She's a good ten years older than me and only wants to have a chance with me because I'm Aro's best man.

James tries to linger at the desk in front of her, and she shies away from him even though I know she's not the bashful type.

The phone at her side rings, and James frowns, leaving her to work as he follows me through the glass doors of the main building.

"You're insufferable," I chastise with a shake of my head.

He grins mischievously. "I'm not a monk, like some people."

"I have standards," I counter.

He laughs throatily. "I ain't lookin' for a wife to get pregnant and be basically useless."

Stubbornly, I fold my arms over my chest, hitching my gun holster away from my armpit. "Obviously."

"Dude, when was the last time you got laid?"

I exhale loudly, turning a corner and then pushing through another set of glass doors to Aro's office. "That's not your business," I gripe.

The inside of Aro's office is reminiscent of a man who's been in this business more than fifty years. And he keeps souvenirs from all his hits — the last several of which I've brought him myself. Despite James' overzealous shooting of Irina, I still have something to bring my boss.

Brilliant midday sun shines into the office behind him, making his long black hair look like a shroud over his shoulders. His beady eyes are focused on the papers and photos in front of him, but the moment I step into his office, he looks up and smiles.

I take the few steps between the doors and his desk to look at the newer additions to his office. The chairs in front of his desk are now brilliant white leather and surround a new long Indian Rosewood table. The carpets are different — cream colored and surrounded by chocolate brown accents along the walls. Even the artwork looks different — less local, more European.

"Edward, my boy," he chuckles. "Your journey wasn't too long, I hope."

I glance at James. "Not too long."

"Wonderful. And I apologize for calling you back so early. Please," he gestures to the chairs in front of his desk.

I glance at James, waiting for him to sit down before I follow. He and I have been working together for the last several years of my life since I was almost nineteen when I was given my first assignment. James is cavalier and shameless in his work. He always takes chances and doesn't worry about the mess I have to clean up when he's finished. This is why I always let him take the first move after being given space to do something. As long as he doesn't screw up, I know I have the ability to lead whatever job we're about to be given.

"You'll both be pleased to know that my associates in Russia have confirmed your hits in Siberia," he relays, still gazing over the papers in front of him.

I try to see what it is, but he scoops all of it up before I have the chance.

"Of course, there were a few complications," he continues. "Now I have to explain to Tanya and Katrina about how their sister was viciously gunned down by a member of Stefan's entourage for trying to defect from his organization."

I have no explanation for the turn of events that led to Irina's death. I had my orders, and if I'd — we'd left her alive, she would've run back to Vladimir and exposed me and James to the entire Romanian Mob. I like the fact that I'm able to move so freely. I don't want to exile myself before I'm thirty years old because the wife of a Mob boss from Bucharest decided to send a hit on me. James, I don't give a shit about.

For a few tense seconds, Aro is silent, closing the papers from his desk into a manila folder and then easing forward to set his arms over his desk. "But that will be my task when and if it presents itself in the next several days. For now, as I explained, I have a task that needs to be handled immediately."

James speaks before I can. "Like what?" he scoffs.

Aro levels his eyes with James, staring and eliciting an immediate response as James sits up straight and takes a deep breath. Then Aro looks at me. "It's a simple matter of disobedience," he shrugs.

Confusion replaces the admonishment I've been feeling from my partner, and as I did in the hotel over a day earlier, I talk out of turn. "How is that more important than finishing Vladimir?" I ask.

Aro's demeanor with me is a complete turnaround from the way he is with James. Usually, I show Aro the utmost respect. Even though he sits in an office and directs operations with over a dozen employees who are always in the field searching for more than two dozen targets at a time, I know he's nearly as skilled with a gun as I am. I know he could bury a bullet in my brain before I had the time to blink. But I'm the best he has, so it's afforded me certain liberties that even piss my father off sometimes. That's, however, another story.

Even after my question, Aro smiles and sighs. "My dear Edward, I run a business. I have employees, yes, but I also have clients. And in addition to that, those clients have constituents. They have people who are hired to do a certain job, and they have every right to expect that job to be done properly. And one of the few things that ensures that my will is done is loyalty. I'm good to my employees, and therefore, they are loyal to me. When a case of disobedience and disloyalty is reported to me, it not only affects me, but you as well."

I bow my head in concession. "I understand."

At first, I think he's talking about something I've done to disgrace him. I'm not perfect, and I've fucked up enough times to know it would eventually get back to him that I wasn't always the most cautious employee he has. And the fact that I've had James to deal with the last several jobs hasn't improved my efficiency.

Slowly, Aro stands up from his desk with the manila folder, stepping around to stand in front of me and extending the folder for me to take it.

"Eleazar called me about this almost two days ago," he explains. " I wanted to wait until after Stefan and Vladimir were taken care of, but after reading through his report, I've decided to handle this now."

I open the folder unceremoniously, discovering a set of papers documenting how a police chief in a small town in Washington has stopped taking Eleazar's calls. Over the last several months, Eleazar Denali — Tanya, Katrina and Irina's father, and Aro's North American associate — has noticed a marked decline in the crime in and around Forks, Port Angeles and La Push. These are all small territories just barely inside Aro's control, but the indication is plain.

For the last several months, Charlie Swan has been doing his job.

Three businesses in Forks that were actually fronts for parts of Aro's business have all been shut down in the last three months alone, and it appears that Chief Swan has requested help from other police stations in Port Angeles and La Push to stop a lot of the petty crime going on in the area.

I don't usually have any idea what a lot of this means, but in Aro's eyes, this means that Charlie Swan isn't doing what he's told to let the men and criminals in the area get away with their usual activities. Whatever Chief Swan believes he's accomplishing, he's putting the lives of his family and friends in danger without realizing it, and it's at this point that I realize what Aro has called me and James to his office to do.

At first, I want to refuse.

"I'm not doing this," I announce, giving the folder back to Aro.

He opens his mouth to argue, but I stop him. "The man I killed 36 hours ago deserved to die. He was a sadistic asshole who would've sold Irina to the highest bidder if he was offered enough money. And she might've left her family for him, but she wasn't disloyal. I didn't kill her, so I can't take responsibility for how her sisters or her mother and father react to her death." I look at James. "But I'm not a monster. And I don't kill innocent people."

Aro sighs heavily, opening the folder and reading a passage from Eleazar's report. " 'The last meeting with Chief Swan brought interesting results as he refused to allow a group of men from Seattle to take over an ailing business in his town that would've brought in enough revenue to restore the Old Iron Bridge leading into town from Port Angeles. Chief Swan stated, and I quote, 'If Aro thinks I'm going to lay down while his lap dogs come in and take over my town and put my people in danger, then he doesn't know me very well. And I won't be silenced by some thug with a gun who wouldn't know the difference between an honest man and a lying con man because he chose to fight for the things he believed in. This is my town. It can't be bought.' After losing the new revenue, Chief Swan also removed his young daughter from school to prevent Eleazar from assessing her usefulness.' "

"Oh, well, fuck that," James argues, rising and taking the folder from Aro to open it and look through the pictures I only glanced at previously. "Mm! Shit, she looks like I could just eat her all up. I'll do it. I'll even bring her back as a bonus."

The way Aro plays James' enthusiasm against my morals is what pisses me off the most. He knows I have a conscience and can't willingly kill an innocent person without there being extenuating circumstances. I've had my fair share of collateral damage, but I think I'm the only employee he has that agonizes over it constantly.

"I don't want the girl," Aro reveals. "I want them all dead. That way, the next chief of police in Forks will not question the way I do things."

James grins broadly. "That is absolutely no problem at all," he agrees.

Though it's not being said, I know what James will do. He won't just kill these people. He'll play with them until they'll be begging him to kill them. The only way to get it done right is if I go with him.

I stand up, facing Aro and taking the folder from James. "I'll need a day of prep to read through everything you have on them," I say without acknowledging that James is just a little too excited at the prospect of having his way with this small family.

He tries to take the folder from me. "This is my job," he argues. "You passed."

Without relenting my grasp on the folder, I turn to him, easily towering over him. "We both know I'm better than you, or he wouldn't have appealed to me first. And if I don't go with you, we both know what you'll do. This way, it'll stay clean, and the Feds won't get involved."

James scoffs, folding his arms over his chest stubbornly. "I'm just as good as you," he challenges.

"Gentlemen, please," Aro interrupts. "You're both very good at what you do, though I will admit that one of you was able to perform the task I gave you recently without injury and the other was not."

I smirk, and James rolls his eyes.

"You have your day," Aro says to me. "I want you to leave for London tomorrow night and be in Seattle within thirty-six hours. And I want a progress report before you go in and afterward."

I look at him and nod, giving James one last look before I turn to leave the office. It isn't until we're walking away from the office and back into the receptionist lobby that James opens his mouth again.

"Don't worry, Eddie," he chirps. "I'll let you have a go at her before I finish her off."

I don't respond to him, wishing for the first time since being partnered with him that I'd let the knife Irina stabbed him with actually make him bleed to death. It would be no less than what he deserves.

My apartment in Volterra is a lot like Aro's office — modern, expensive and personality-less. I'm hardly ever here, so there aren't very man personal touches that identify the space as being mine. It was given to me after my fourth job so Aro could keep me close in case he needed me on a moment's notice, and for the next couple of years, it was kind of like a base of operations. But it isn't home. Aro knows it never will be, though he's constantly attempting to make it look like home.

Despite being inside the building where Aro's office is also situated, there are pieces of my hometown scattered throughout the living room, bedroom and kitchen that are supposed to make me think I'm in Chicago. But when I look out my window which expands the entire eastern wall of the living room, I see the Tuscan countryside. Plus I don't keep any pictures of my father, mother or sister here, so the fact that I'm not home is a constant reminder. I kind of like it that way. Aro isn't my family, and neither is James.

I haven't seen my father in almost nine months, since I've been tracking several targets in addition to Stefan and Vladimir. My mother Esme and sister Alice were able to vacation near Volterra a few months ago before I started my intel on Stefan, and it had been the first time I'd seen either of them since September. With it being almost Spring now, I wonder if Alice is still seeing that guy from my father's extension staff in Texas. Jasper. She couldn't stop talking about him the whole time we were walking through the streets in Rome.

Though my apartment doesn't exactly hide me from James or his antics since he's just below me in an apartment similar to mine, it gives me enough privacy to do my job. Right now it's important for me to know enough about Charlie Swan and his family to keep James from going Hannibal Lector on them.

Chief Swan's wife Renee is your typical homemaker. She only went through one year of college before their daughter Isabella was born, and since then, she's been running their household. Based on the files, she has deep connections to the community. All three of them do, and that's going to make this tricky. Usually, my targets are the kind of people no one will have a problem forgetting. I know when Vladimir learns of his brother's death, he'll automatically assume control of their organization until it's his turn to kiss the end of a gun. No one will miss Stefan.

Irina is another issue altogether.

The daughter is only eighteen. Before being pulled out of school, she was a senior at Forks High School with good grades and a large group of friends. Now she's being home-schooled by her mother because it's no longer safe for her to be out in the open. Whether Charlie Swan knows it or not, he's making it even easier to take them all out at the same time, and that's exactly what's going to happen — even if James thinks I'm going to give him the opportunity to torture them.

My phone ringing from the entry table startles me, and I cross the room to answer it.

"Is it true?" Kate yells before I can even say hello. "Did you kill my sister?"

Thinking back to how Aro planned to lie to her and Tanya about Irina's death, at first, I think she's trying to make me admit it before he's had a chance to tell her anything. "Kate — "

"I just saw the report on Stefan," she exclaims. "It says she was shot in the head! Edward, what is wrong with you?"

"I didn't kill her!" I yell back without pausing. "It was James!"

Her silence tells me she hasn't spoken to Aro yet. "Why?" she asks softly.

While standing at the window of my living room, I huff and turn my back to the glass. "You know Aro's rules," I say. "Everyone in the car had to die. I'm sorry."

For another minute, she says nothing. I can hear her breathing and clenching her teeth and seething at the knowledge that her sister was executed like a dog.

I've known Kate since I first started working for Aro eight years ago, and we have a complicated relationship. She's been here a few years longer than I have, working mainly in weapon's development, but in the last year or so, she's been training in Stealth Operations. When her sister Tanya tried to eat me alive right after my first mission, Kate was the one to rescue me from her red-taloned clutches. Don't get me wrong. Tanya is a great woman, and she's one of the best long-range snipers we have. But I wasn't interested in being added to her list of flings that had already included Riley, Peter and Diego — along with a few others outside the organization.

Kate was the first real girlfriend I'd ever had even if we never officially established our "relationship" parameters. She's my closest friend, other than my sister Alice, and I don't like that I've caused her any pain.

"Where's James?" she demands.

"Don't do anything stupid," I warn. "You'll just end up pissing off Aro."

"Pissing off Aro?" she shrieks. "My sister is dead! And that fucking asshole is the one who shot her. He probably enjoyed it, didn't he?"

I don't acknowledge what she says, but it isn't difficult for her to hear my admittance that James did enjoy killing Irina despite the fact that she stabbed him. As this thought passes through my head, I involuntarily give Kate more details of the kill than she needs.

"If it helps, she stabbed him."

She scoffs loudly. "Good."

A silent moment passes, and I continue trying to keep her calm. I know of only one thing that will accomplish that. "Come to my apartment," I say. "It's going to be okay. Aro will make sure Irina isn't remembered like that."

Kate doesn't respond to the second half of my statement. "Give me ten minutes."

She hangs up before I can agree, but I know she means it. With that in mind, I move around to the bar to find a glass and her favorite vodka.

Over the last eight years, I've probably been drunk a dozen times. They've all been in this room, and they've all been with Kate. I don't try to fool myself into thinking I love her. The idea isn't as possible as it probably should be after so long. But we understand each other. It's more than I can say for any of the late-night fucking sessions James has with a different assistant in the building every time we're here.

I'm standing at the bar making a stout White Russian when Kate enters the apartment without knocking or waiting for me to allow her inside. She's pissed, and that usually means the normal manners of a woman like her are null and void. The door slams behind her, and she stalks toward me, her long, straight blond hair flying behind her angrily.

"That had better be a double," she commands.

I smirk even though I know she's serious. I've already added twice the normal amount of vodka because I know she's furious. It's not directed at me, but I'll probably end up paying for it.

And to answer James' rude question of when I last got laid?

The last time I was in Volterra three months ago.

* * *

**I don't know about you, but I'd be pissed if something like happened to a member of my family. **

**Tell me what you think of our, um, Hero, and the story so far. You might actually help me along the way.  
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**Have a great morning!  
**


	4. Mortal Coil

******Good morning! This is actually my second update of the day. If you haven't read my other stories, head on over to my profile and check 'em out! There's sort of pseudo-suggestive scene here at the top. **

**Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and put this on your favorites and alerts.  
**

**This is all technically un-beta'd so any mistakes are all mine. Also, I'm gonna go ahead and plead with you to not really pay attention to what's being done, only to what's being said. Hence, the title.  
**

**I don't own Twilight, but I'm joining a long list of people who decided Edward shouldn't be a monk.  
**

* * *

**Mortal Coil**

After three double White Russians, Kate drags me to the shower and strips me out of the pants and shirt I arrived in before seeing Aro. She's not friendly to the material, as it shreds from her hands. All I can think about is how I paid three hundred dollars for it in Moscow before driving here.

Of course, I'm not nice to her clothes either. The shirt she's wearing feels flimsy beneath my fingers as I rip it off, and her lace bra quickly follows. Her skin is subtly sun-kissed and utterly smooth, and her trimmed fingernails have only a clear finish on them. All I have to do to her hair is tug on a pin in the back, and it rains down her back in a sheet of corn silk.

We devour each other from the plush white rug in the bathroom to the shiny black shower stall where near scalding hot water is already running. This is how we usually are, and if it were any other way — like slow and gentle-like — it'd probably scare the shit out of me. Her body is taut and strong, and she shoves me up against the cold ceramic tile so hard that I wince a little.

"Easy," I whisper, grabbing her legs and hoisting her up so her body completely envelops mine.

She laughs. "You don't want it easy," she moans, kissing me deeply.

There's no time to answer her as we fall headlong into our usual habit of taking out our hostilities on each other, but in the back of my mind, I know she's wrong. And what makes it worse is the fact that I don't really know what I want. I've been doing this for so long that I never really had time to figure it out.

I know what I _don't_ want.

I don't want to die alone.

The shower closes us both in a hot, insulated cocoon, and we don't come out until the water goes lukewarm. In this building, that's a while. My knees are lobster red and weak when we step out of the bathroom and fall into the bed covered in twelve-hundred-thread count Egyptian Cotton sheets. She lays me down and presses me to the mattress, sitting on top of me so I can't move, but this is normal for her.

The first time we did this, it was three months after my nineteenth birthday and still training in Aro's facility even after I'd already completed my first mission. Since my father runs the Midwestern office, he thought it would be better for me to work elsewhere, and while I actually wanted to go to college, working for Aro was safer to keep me from getting killed by any of his competitors. It was hard to argue with my father on that point, but I tried for about six months before finally giving in and flying to Italy.

Sex with Kate wasn't exactly what I had built up in my head for what losing my virginity should've been, but sometimes it's better than I think anything has the right to be. It makes me feel less horrible about what I do, and I know I'm beginning to like it just a little too much. This usually isn't a good thing in the business we're in, but I can't bring myself to stop.

"You're so good at this," she whimpers as soon as we're back in the midst of what can only be described as fucking senselessly.

I'm moving a little faster than usual, thrusting a little harder. "I had a good teacher," I groan back.

The outside world disappears as we become so involved that nothing registers until it's dark outside and all the soft, white lights along the floor illuminate the stark white walls and ceiling. She's calmed down and lays at my side as we both lay tangled in the sheets that are now damp from water and perspiration. Her fingertips are tracing the line of a scar on the left side of my chest where a mark tried to cut through my chest. I was in Aro's special treatment center for a month recuperating while James was given a temporary partner. Kate came to see me three or four times a week, along with my father and Aro. My mother and sister weren't allowed to see me until all the bandages and stitches were gone. It's something they've never really forgiven me for, or my father.

There's permanent damage to my lung, and the knife barely missed the blood vessel leading to my heart, which was apparently the mark's target. But I went through another six months of conditioning to make up for the damage. Now it's almost like nothing ever happened. My father, who along with running his extension, keeps a small medical practice near our estate in Illinois, and he made sure I got the best of everything.

"Was she scared?" Kate asks softly, her voice sending a new set of chills through my torso only to have them settle in my groin.

Despite this reaction in my body, I can't muster up a lie for her. "Yes."

She lifts her head to look at me, and I wrap my hand around her head. "Was it quick?"

Again, I don't lie. "Yes."

Her eyes bore into me for probably a minute before she lays her head back down while still caressing the scar on my chest that's actually shaped like a crescent moon. It's nearly the size of my palm with all kinds of scraggly marks and ugly pink stitch marks around the edges.

"When are you leaving again?" she asks, almost whispering now.

"Tomorrow afternoon. I have to make a flight to London from Pisa."

"Is James coming with you?"

I hold her closer to me. "Of course. He's my partner."

She doesn't respond, and somehow, I can hear the wheels turning in her head. I don't think I've ever seen her this angry, and I know she's in pain. She and her sisters are nearly as close as I am to Alice, and if anyone hurt _my_ sister, I wouldn't be able to see straight. And I would do literally anything in my power to make whoever was responsible pay with their life.

It's at this point that I nudge her away and rise up to my elbow to face her in the dim light. "Whatever you're think of doing," I say, "don't. You won't accomplish anything."

She won't look at me, but she lays her hand over my scar. "My sister deserved better than this, Edward. For the scum who put her down like a dog, someone should pay him the same respect."

Cupping her cheek gently, I turn her face to mine. "I don't want that to be you. If Aro found out . . ."

"I don't care about him," she says, glaring at me and now digging her fingertips into my skin. "He was going to lie to me and Tan about this, and you knew that. Does he know about us?"

I have to move her hand from my chest, taking it in mine slowly. "I've never told him. And we're being careful. We're never in the same place together, and James thinks I'm some kind of monk because I don't fuck everything that moves."

The look of disgust on her face is easy to read.

"I don't think about you like that," I say, laying my forehead against hers and lowering my hand to her hip to pull her against me. "I've never thought of you that way. I won't ever do that to you. You have my word."

She smiles and bites her lip, rubbing her hand over my shoulder and then threading her fingers through my hair. "I always liked that about you," she whispers.

I laugh softly and brush my lips against hers. "What's that?"

"You're so . . . honorable and . . . compassionate. I was so worried when you went into the aggressive technical training that you wouldn't come out the same — like James. And Garrett."

The mention of his name causes a new memory to surface, and I know exactly who she's talking about.

When I began training, I was told that I had to be hard as stone and cold as ice. Emotions and regret had no place in my life anymore, and if I felt anything but contempt for my marks, they would have power over me. They would be able to destroy me from the inside out. To nearly everyone I trained with — me and four other trainees — this meant shutting out any emotion that meant we would sympathize with the mark we were meant to kill.

But to me, it meant I had to find the one thing inside the mark that would make me hate them. It meant I had to look at them the way they would see me — evil, vindictive and cruel. For most of my kills, this has been easy. Men like Stefan and Vladimir are no harder for me to kill than when I purposefully squish a bug. But there have been a few times that I've walked away from a mark feeling . . . tainted, used and inhuman.

They all beg for their lives. A lot of them cry and scream. Several of them try to get away. But a few of them have faced me like the Grim Reaper — ready to face their end because they knew that no amount of begging, crying, screaming or running would stop me from killing them. They were quiet and one of them prayed.

But I had to do it. It was my job.

It's what I do.

But it's not who I am.

Garrett was in that group with me, but he was a few years older. His transition into a cold-blooded killer took less than a month of training. He and I sparred a few times as an exercise in control and strategy against an opponent who'd gotten lose from whatever bonds we'd given them. There's a scar on my left arm from the spiral fracture he inflicted, and I had bruising on my kidneys for three weeks.

They shipped him to destinations unknown after he brutally beat one of the other trainees to death before our trainer shot him with three tranquilizer darts. I don't know where he is, and I hope I never find out. And more than that, I never want him to find Kate. She's the only thing in this place keeping me anchored.

Kate thinks they killed him because he didn't only turn into a field agent — he became an animal. I wish they'd put him down, but they didn't. They decided to use him.

When Kate gives me these glimmering compliments of honor and compassion, I feel no more worthy of them than when Aro calls me his man and knows I won't ever turn against him.

I can't.

He'll kill me if I do.

My laugh dies, and the smile on my face fades instantly. "Don't say that," I plead softly.

She makes me look at her. "You know I'm right," she presses. "And I can see it in your eyes when I look at you. You didn't kill my sister. James murdered her, and he deserves to die for it. You put down a sadistic bastard who made her turn against her family."

I scoff and turn my eyes from her. "So now I'm noble, hmm?"

She wraps her leg around my hip, opening her warmth and wetness up to me. Chills spread through my hips and then up my spine. Then she whispers. "You're more than noble, Edward. You're good. You have more than this, and Aro knows that. It's why he wanted to train you. And when you're finished doing this, you'll have something to go home to."

Having her against me makes me want to be inside her more than I wanted earlier, and I lower my fingers to stroke her more gently than I did before.

"I won't ever be finished with this," I groan against her open mouth. "And if I'm lucky, my children won't have to do it until they're well into their twenties."

Her slick opening welcomes the lengths of my index and middle fingers, and she lowers her mouth to mine.

"Then you have to find someone who makes you want to change," she whispers, devouring my tongue and moving her body with my playing.

It's the last thing she says before we begin our dance again, this time facing each other over the bed and pushing the sheets away so I can watch her curves move with me. But her words stick in the back of my head, and something about the way she says it makes me believe she knows that person won't be her.

After this time, I pass out with her in my arms, dreaming about a dense, green forest where the air is so heavy and wet that it stays dim with clouds. An innocent, deep pair of brown eyes find mine in a sea of darkness, and dark chestnut hair fills my fingers. I don't understand, but that's not important.

What's important is that I sleep.

When I wake up, it's morning, and I'm alone in bed with only a slip of paper on the pillow next to me. I pick it up as I roll onto my back, seeing a short note written in Kate's handwriting.

_My private number: +02890954321 . . . Call me._

Sun is already shining through the window across the room from me as the glass lines the height of the wall, and I know the time I have to finish reading is fading. I don't know what to do with Kate's number, so for the time being, I don't do anything with it, laying it back on the bed and rising to get back in the shower.

I have breakfast brought to my room, collecting all the papers I left in the living room to look at them again. Like always, I look at the reports and photos, trying to muster as much of my distaste as I can with what Charlie Swan is doing. He's putting his family is danger and could very well destroy his town from the inside out. His daughter is only eighteen, and it will be his fault that she dies.

But when I look at the photos Eleazar has included with the reports, all I see is a high school student who knows nothing about what her father has gotten himself into. I look at the photos of her mother and see a woman who only wants her child to be safe. And I look at Charlie Swan, unable to see anyone who would knowingly endanger his family without thinking he can keep them safe.

When it's time for me to leave for the airport in Pisa, I know everything there is to know about Charlie Swan and Forks, Washington. I also have a sniper nearby ready to assist me in case things go wrong with James. Even after talking to Kate and knowing how angry she is, I'm still thinking of a contingency plan. If anyone kills James, it's going to be me.

The Devil himself is sitting in the lobby across the room from Gianna with dark sunglasses covering his eyes and his light brown hair hanging in his face. He looks hung over, and I can only imagine why.

Did he decide to come back for Gianna after our meeting with Aro?

Based on the way she's trying not to watch him from her desk, I'm guessing yes. Clearly, he has absolutely no shame in his pursuits. She probably doesn't know how many women he's already been with and will probably be with when this job is finished. But from what I know about James, he more than likely talked her into having some sordid orgy with him and a few other girls. It's all he knows. And it's disgusting.

He looks up as soon as I'm close, smirking and then rising with his bag to follow me outside. Neither one of us look back, but I'm almost absolutely sure that Gianna is watching him leave.

* * *

**Like I said, try to focus on everything Kate said, and keep an eye on her. And keep in mind that while Edward will be facing Bella soon, he doesn't know her yet. **

**Tell me what you think he might do next, and you might get a prize.  
**

**Thanks for reading! See you next time!  
**


	5. A Stone's Throw

******Okay, so it's a day early than I thought it would be, but it's coming together very nicely, and I like hearing what people have to say. I don't have a bunch of things to say up there except to warn you of the content. There's violence and non-consensual sex and lots of bad language. So don't say I didn't warn you.**

**Thanks to everyone who's read and reviewed.  
**

**I don't own Twilight, but I do own all the books and DVD's and a few of the soundtracks.  
**

**This is all un-beta'd, so any mistakes you see belong to me.  
**

* * *

**A Stone's Throw**

After an hour drive to the airport with James grumbling about the lack of a decent radio station that isn't playing some Italian pop music, and then a two-hour flight to London watching him shamelessly flirt with all the flight attendants in First Class, I am more than ready to get away from him. We have a connecting fight to New York in a few hours, driving through the streets of London to one of Aro's safe houses so we can continue to get ready for this job.

I separate from him almost as soon as we arrive, where a very young red-headed woman takes our bags even though we won't be here long, and the last I see of her before I go upstairs is James telling her how pretty she is while she blushes deep crimson. I guess I know what he's going to be doing for the next three and a half hours.

The inside of the bedroom I find that's as far from the downstairs ambush as possible is filled with Renaissance furniture and antique style phones. I won't be here long enough to find out exactly how modern this house really is, and I don't plan on finding out. The book I've brought with me to make myself look busy in front of James is the only distraction I think I'll need, but then I can hear the faint moaning and whimpering of a woman's voice carrying on from downstairs that quickly turns high-pitched and frenzied.

It's impossible to focus on my book the longer I can hear her, and it's against my better judgement that I open the door to my room. Outside the room, I can hear her better, but now I can hear James. He's grunting and growling like usual. If I ever thought of myself having a partner like him when I first started doing this, I would've immediately begged for a new partner. There's nothing calm or efficient about him.

He wastes his energy on useless things. There isn't a woman in the business who's never heard of him — not just women stationed in Italy. And he can't aim to save his life. Even though he killed Irina, she was an easy target — scared, frozen and within arm's reach. This is how he's killed the last few marks given to him, and I know this is how he plans to take out any member of the Swan family available to him.

"Oh! God! I never thought . . ! Oh, God!"

Her voice is at its shrillest pitch now, matching in time almost exactly every time James grunts, and for some reason, I'm drawn toward where I can hear them. Within probably a minute, I'm close enough to hear her body hitting the wall behind her. Memories of when I was with Kate the night before fill my head. I know what she and I have isn't the stuff movies and books are written about, but at least I know her. At least I trust her. At least I care about what happens to her.

All James ever does is fuck. It's all he knows. And that makes me hate him for it.

Glass and metal crash to the floor, tinkling and echoing off the walls, and I round a corner in time to see James lay the young red-headed woman over a table near by. Her breasts are exposed and red; her nipples are erect. She has her legs wrapped around him, and the closer I get, the more I realize that her top is ripped off. James is slamming into her hard — hard enough to make the table scuff along on the floor with each thrust.

Her eyes are squeezed shut, and she's biting her lip hard enough for blood to be streaming down her chin. She tries to reach for him, but he slaps her hand away. There's no care taken to make sure she's okay as I can see pieces of glass still on the table now cutting into her back. James doesn't look like it matters to him whether she's hurt.

I can't imagine anyone else watching this kind of scene would be the least bit turned on. I'm not. I'm disgusted. But I can't turn away for the life of me. She doesn't look hurt, but I can see in her body language that it's the adrenaline and hot blood coursing through her that have numbed her other senses. I feel kind of sorry for her. When we're gone, she'll have to clean up the mess he's made. And there's no one here to take care of her.

With one final heave, he's done with her, releasing her roughly and wiping his mouth with one hand as he slides the other up her body like a man conquering a savage beast. Then he leaves without helping her.

I don't move from where I stopped, and he sees me as he arrives at the top of the stairs with his pants unbuttoned and one sleeve of his shirt ripped. We don't exchange words, but he smirks and continues on to another room on the floor. I feel like punching him, stabbing him and ripping out his testicles so he can lay in the floor and bleed to death. Hatred I know for no one else eclipses every other horrid emotion I feel for him.

Once he's in his room with the door shut, I turn back to see the young woman tearfully picking up the mess on the floor with her clothes ripped beyond repair. Without thinking of the consequences, I descend the stairs to where she is. She looks at me before I'm too close, and she reminds me of a scared animal who's just had their hide kicked. The pity I feel for her is stronger now than it was a few minutes earlier.

No one deserves to be treated this way.

She backs away from me as I kneel beside her to help, and I take what's in her hands from her when I see them shaking. Not only is she scared, but her body is still in hyper-drive from what James just did to her. She might as well be a tuning fork for all the good she'll be until she calms down.

"It's okay," I say softly. "I won't hurt you."

Her tears flow more freely now, and I put down the glass I've taken from her to move closer to her. She's as light as a feather when I lift her in my arms. Her hands grip my shirt as I carry her to the bathroom nearby and set her on the side of the tub to assess the damage done to her back.

"What's your name?" I ask.

"Victoria," she whispers.

In all, there are ten cuts up her back, but most of them are superficial. I clean them and bandage them without much more conversation. She's still shaking as I turn her to face me so I can look at her lip. The make-up on her face is all smudged and her brilliant green eyes are filled with what I can only describe as embarrassment.

After cleaning off her chin and making sure the cut on her lip isn't deep, I stand her up and remove what's left of her clothes. No other bruises mar her skin, and for that much I'm glad, but every time I touch her, a tiny whimper falls from her lips. It becomes obvious to me that while James fucked her and left her a sobbing mess on the table, he didn't do anything for her. She's aware of every touch I've given her, and it only seems to exasperate her problem.

"How old are you?" I ask, reaching out to turn on the bath for her.

"Eighteen."

Dear God, she's a baby.

I look up at her as she stands before me naked. "And have you ever had sex before today?"

Thick tears slip down her cheeks. "No."

"Christ," I whisper, running my fingers through my hair.

The tub fills with water, and I help her sit down before leaving to find her more clothes.

His usual fare aside, James has never done this before. What he just did constitutes as rape in my mind, plain and simple. Why has no one who knows him scrubbed him from the business? He's sloppy, bitchy and rarely does what he's told. And why is he even with me?

By the time I find the servant quarters and then a set of clothes that look like they'll fit her, I still don't have any answers to my questions. I don't know if I ever will.

And I don't even realize it when I start thinking about Isabella Swan.

She's eighteen. She's probably never had a boyfriend. From what I read, she's completely innocent.

James will devour her before he kills her. I can't let him do that before she dies.

Victoria's sobs are easier to hear when I make it back to the bathroom, and I know I've spent too much time helping her. I know James won't have anything to do with her anymore, but I'm not here for her. Our flight is leaving in two hours.

She jumps and gasps when I open the door, covering herself from me and hunching over her legs. The steps I take are slow and certain as I set her clothes on the counter. More tears slip down her cheeks, and before I leave to clean up the mess in the hall, I sit on the side of the tub in front of her.

"He won't hurt you anymore," I whisper. "Just stay in here and calm down. I have to leave with him, but after he's gone, you'll be safe. I promise."

Her eyes never leave mine, and I'm startled to realize how like mine they are. Her hair is much redder than mine could ever hope to be, and something inside me wonders if in a different life we could've been siblings. If anyone ever did something like _this_ to Alice, I would kill them with my bare hands.

I leave her to continue her bath, stepping into the hall outside and then moving to the table where the appalling act took place. The glass is a problem, but it's nothing I'm not used to. The blood has begun to congeal, and I have to use bleach from the vacant kitchen to clean it up. There's nothing I can do for the two vases and flowers that used to be here, but I find others that are similar in the house and move them there to prevent anyone from noticing the difference.

This takes me nearly the rest of the time I'm in the house, and I have to help Victoria to her room before going to collect James.

The first thing I notice as I stand outside his room is the low snore of a man without a care in the world. I shouldn't be upset or even surprised after what he did. But when I step into the room and discover him on the bed — essentially dead to the world — every scenario I can think of passes through my head.

I could tell Aro he choked in his sleep, and when I found him, he was dead. He fell and hit his head on the edge of the marble fireplace. He pissed me off for the last time, and I thought I would do Aro a favor by ridding the organization of his sloppy ass.

But I can't do anything. Aro would see it as an act of rebellion, and I don't rebel. It's just not what I do. The only thing I can tell myself is after this mark, I'm asking for a new partner. I hate James. His attitude is going get us both killed.

So instead of giving him the same treatment he gave Victoria, I slap his leg, waking him instantly.

"Get up," I yell, and his eyes pop open. "It's time to go."

I watch him stretch and then rise like everything is right with the world. He's already changed shirts, and once he has his bag, we leave the room. There's a measure of curiosity in his gaze as he glances around, and I know he's looking for Victoria. I don't give him time to find her, shoving him out the front door and down to the curb where a taxi is already waiting to take us back to the airport.

We don't talk on the way, and I sit as far from him as I possibly can.

Eight hours fly by as he sleeps and I read. I go over the intel again, texting my sniper near Forks and giving him a time and place to meet me in the event that I want to create an accident for James. My mind's already made up. When I ask Aro for a new partner, it will be because mine got killed in the confusion of him screwing up another mark the way he did with Irina.

In New York, we again have a layover with a connecting flight to Seattle within a few hours, and this time, when we get to another safe house, an older man is waiting at the door to let us in. This place is much more modern than the safe house is London, and it's relatively empty except for the old man who introduces himself as Liam.

This time, I'm able to relax in peace for a couple of hours until James steps into my room complaining about having nothing to do.

"Just because there aren't any women to fuck doesn't mean there isn't anything to do," I say from my perch on the bed with my book in my hands.

He stalks over to me, grabs my book and throws it across the room. "Well, then maybe we should do something about that," he growls.

"We're leaving in an hour."

Clenching his teeth, he reaches out and grabs my shirt, attempting to yank me off the bed and failing as I lift my foot and kick his stomach.

"Don't fuck with me," I say calmly, rising and moving to pick up my book.

After hissing and groaning as he rises from where I kicked him, he lunges for me again, intentionally picking a fight with me just so he'll have something to do until we leave. Together, we fall into a coffee table across the room from the bed and slam to the floor. The wood and glass shatter against my back, but before he can do much more damage, I kick him again — this time in his balls. A new groan falls from his mouth, and I shove him off me to assess the damage done to my clothes.

"You're so much more fucking crazy than I've ever given you credit for," I yell, gritting my teeth and feeling my back on fire from the bruising and a cut that's sliced into my back near my spine. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

He laughs and stands up slowly. "What? You think I didn't see you clean up after me in London," he says, grinning manically. "Is it going to be your job to pick all the whores we encounter off the floor? You know what? That makes you just like them."

"No, it makes me human," I shout. "And it makes you a sadistic asshole."

He shrugs. "At least I embraced my profession when it was given to me."

At this point, I'm done fighting with him. "You better not screw this up," I say, warning him as heavily as I can. "Or I swear I won't hesitate to scrub your sorry ass of the face of the Earth."

His grin widens. "Is that a threat, Cullen?"

"No, it's the goddamn truth. We have to leave."

I have to leave the room to calm down, moving to a bathroom to check myself over. My back still feels like it's on fire, and blood is already staining the lower half of my shirt. I've been cleaning and bandaging my own wounds for years, but I've never had to bandage a cut inflicted by my own partner. Once that's done, and I'm changed, I leave the bathroom to head back downstairs where my bags are still setting by the door.

James follows after a few minutes, still smiling and even winking like he didn't just throw me across a room. Liam bids us farewell, and another taxi carries us to the airport to make our connecting flight.

In the traffic, which is light, I find myself looking at James and feeling more unanswered questions welling up about his behavior.

What is wrong with him? Why is he acting like this?

From the first time I went on a job with him, it was clear he was going to be an arrogant, cruel prick, but not with me and not like this — not when we're on assignment. His actions in London have fueled a hatred deep inside me I didn't know existed.

Is he trying to piss me off?

It's not exactly unknown to anyone else that I still have what can only be described as a conscience. I kill bad people. As I said, there have been those I've killed who couldn't avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but I don't brag about it. In fact, I probably feel worse about it than anyone else in the organization — even Kate.

I'm nothing like James. We're on opposite ends of the scale that people use to judge humanity on, and it's this thing about him that's always confused me about why he was partnered with me. I don't know who else it could've been, but I sure as hell wasn't expecting it to be him.

We make the flight to Seattle with minutes to spare, and I ask one of the flight attendants for a glass of whiskey to take the edge of the throbbing in my back before pulling out the folder of info again for one last gander.

"So how are we gonna do this?" James asks from his seat next to mine.

At first, I ignore him.

There is no 'we' anymore. This is just me, and if he gets in my way, I'll plant a bullet in his skull just as easily as I will Chief Swan's.

When I don't answer him, he begins postulating.

"Right, so I think I should do the Mom. The cop knows how to use a gun, so he needs to go first. Once he's down, the women should be easy."

His voice is grating on my nerves even worse than when I was waiting in the sub-zero freezing cold of Siberia.

Then he clicks his tongue. "If I don't get an answer, I'll assume you agree with me."

Clenching my teeth, I speak as resolutely as I can. "_We're_ not doing anything," I tell him as calmly as I can. "I have a guy in the area. We're going to meet with him before we move in, and only when I'm satisfied that you'll remain professional will we even attempt to make contact with Chief Swan."

"Contact?" he repeats, chortling. "What are you plannin' on doin', Cullen? Havin' a dance with the man?"

"You know what I mean. After what happened with Irina, I want this one to be clean. Which means you follow _my_ lead. And we don't go in with guns blazing. You'll make too much noise."

He snorts and laughs. "You really are startin' to go soft on me," he says. I don't respond to his taunt, and he leans closer. "Are you thinkin' about maybe takin' a little piece of those ladies for yourself? Maybe lock 'em away and use 'em for a rainy day when you don't feel like rock climbing or horseback riding? They're marks, Cullen. Nothing more, nothing less."

He pauses and looks around before continuing. "What are you gonna do when you gotta kill that cop? Turn sissy on me and strike up a fucking friendship?"

For a minute, I don't respond, drinking my whiskey and continuing to read.

The flat laugh that hits my ears sends an annoying crawl through my skin, and he leans closer until his voice is right next to my ear. "You know I never figured you for a cock sucker. But who knows, maybe this cop is exactly your type."

To that, I speak without looking at him. "Well, if he is, he'll be worth more than you are."

The smile that's spread across James' face fades, and he knocks the nearly empty glass out of my hand before rising and leaving to find something else to do.

After flagging down another flight attendant and apologizing for the mess, I get another whiskey and continue looking at the intel of Chief Swan. James doesn't come back until we're about to land, and a third flight attendant trails him before moving on, adjusting her skirt along the way.

We don't speak, but now I really want him dead.

* * *

**I wouldn't normally give it away, but guess who we meet in the next chapter? I bet you can't guess, even if one of them will be obvious?**

**I'm also laying down some clues. Did you catch them?  
**

**Let me know what you think so far, and tell me if you have an theories.  
**

**Next chapter should be up in a week. Later!  
**


	6. Isabella Swan

******Really? No one had anything to say about how evil and cruel James is? No one has any theories? All right. Well, to all the people still reading and putting this on your favorites and alerts, thanks.  
**

**I know we've all read the new summary, and I know it seems like everything is pretty well known up to a point, but come on, guys, I really want to know what you're thinking will come after all that. Trust me, there's more.  
**

**And nobody guessed who could be popping up in this chapter other than you-know-who. So I hope you're not too surprised.  
**

**I don't own Twilight, but I own a usually cheerful, sunny disposition, and all the directions and road names come from the guide.  
**

**This is all un-beta'd, so any mistakes you see are mine.  
**

* * *

**Isabella Swan**

Seattle, Washington is almost dark when our flight lands, and a car is waiting for us on the curb after we collect our bags. The driver is tall and tan-skinned. When he looks at me, there's a hint of recognition in his eyes, but James doesn't see anything. I nod slightly, sliding into the car and closing the door so we can get on our way.

Since his quip on the flight over, James hasn't said a word in the way of exactly what we're going to do for this assignment. But I know him too well. Because I've refused to play his games, I can see the wheels turning in his head. I know he'll do something stupid to jeopardize this. What he did with Irina was just him being an ass. This time, I know he'll do it on purpose.

We stop two hours away from Seattle in Port Angeles where I'm scheduled to meet with my sniper.

"Why do I have to stay here?" James complains. "He's not my sniper."

"Fine," I say. "Walk. The car and driver stay with me. Forks is fifty-three miles away."

He huffs and sits back in the empty seat, and after a minute of making sure he stays put, I rise out of the car and close the door behind me. With the window between the back and the front closed, it's just as easy for the driver to get out and meet me.

It's almost like we can read each other even though it's been almost six months since we've seen each other. He nods toward the marina, which is within walking distance, and I lift my eyebrow to the car so he'll know to keep James in the car so I can have a little privacy. Then without any words being spoken, I move away from the car to make my meeting.

"You're early, Cullen."

The tall figure at the end of the pier turns to face me, and for a few seconds, his tan face is hard and emotionless. But as soon as I'm within the last few dozen feet between us, a brilliant white smile spreads across his face.

"It's good to see you too, Jacob."

He looks about like what I remember. Almost three inches taller than me with probably forty or fifty more pounds of muscle, he stands much prouder than anyone in his profession should. Certainly taller than I usually do. His short dark hair and eyes do nothing to diminish his warm presence. Being around him reminds me why I do this, and it's just what I need after being around James for the last twenty-five hours. I'm exhausted, but it's easy to draw energy from the ray of sunshine now within arm's reach.

Jacob looks up toward the dock. "Did you bring him with you this time?" he asks.

A heavy sigh falls from my lips. "I had to. He saw the folder, and Aro would've frowned on leaving him behind."

"And you're sure he's a loose cannon?"

I nod and laugh even though it's not funny. "Yeah. Did you bring everything with you?"

He grins. "Of course." From behind him, he produces a small metal case with a thick manila envelope and hands it to me without much ceremony.

I know what's inside it, but I still have to look at all of it — make sure it's small enough for me to conceal once we get back to the car. The latch of the case is heavy and solid, requiring a little more force than I thought to open before I lay my eyes on the most sophisticated communication earpiece known to the human race. And I know this because it's more sophisticated than what I was using three days ago in Siberia. Gingerly, I ply the flap of the envelope open to make sure all the money is there before I look at the earpiece again.

"Did you check the range?" I ask, holding the case close to keep it concealed.

"I heard you all the way here," he says, prompting me to look at him as he motions to his left ear.

At first, I can't see anything. My eyes are trained to see even the tiniest detail in a sea of distractions, but Jacob has to point out the distortion inside his ear the earpiece creates. I'm surprised, and then I'm elated. I don't think I've felt this way since my sister was born when I was five years old.

"Your partner is an asshole," Jacob says.

I huff and glance over my shoulder. "He thinks you're here to help in case something goes wrong with the mark. And when we get back in the car, he's might ask to see your rifle. Don't show him the one you actually use."

His thick brows furrow, and his deep brown eyes drift over my shoulder toward the car. "Do I need to know anything about the mark?"

Even though he works for Aro by extension, Jacob has lived in this area his entire life. He and the driver, Sam, do most of the work in this area, along with another guy I've only met a few times, Seth, who's still training to do what Jacob does.

"It's probably better that you don't," I say, shifting around as I slip the earpiece in so the possibility of James seeing it will be as low as possible. "I like you, and it would really suck if I had to kill you one day. Besides, you're here to help me. The less Aro knows, the better. But if I need you to know, I'll tell you."

These seems to satisfy him, but we stand there silently for another minute or so before he speaks again.

"There's something different about you. I can't put my finger on it, but it's not just about your prick of a partner. Don't tell me you're starting to lose your touch."

His words strike a chord inside me, and instantly, I'm thinking about what Kate said before I left Italy.

"I still know my way around a gun, if that's what you mean," I say, trying to shrug off his observation.

He smirks. "Oh, of that, I have no doubt. But no, that's not it. Hey, it's your business, man. I got your back, no matter what. Forks is just an hour away. We can go now, and it'll give you plenty of time to do the rest of your recon."

I have no objections, slipping the small metal case and the envelope inside my jacket and turning to lead the way back up to the dock.

With Jacob and Sam close, I actually feel a little better. I don't know about this thing Jacob sees different in me, but I'm not worried. I always do what I'm told. It's what's kept me alive.

The drive is quiet. For the first time in twenty-five hours, James is utterly and completely speechless to Jacob's presence. I don't think I've ever heard him this quiet since I've known him, and I've known him a while. Even if we might go a few spans of time without saying anything, this silence is a total difference from his usual belly-aching. And I know it's Jacob doing it.

For just over an hour, I sit and bask in the brilliance of my most prized sniper, almost convinced I'll have to do him a favor after this for the effect he's having on my very psychotic partner. If only he could go into the house with us.

After stopping for a hour to talk to Jacob and then an hour drive to Forks, it's just after eight when we make it to our destination, which happens to be a motel that's just a few blocks from the road to the house. I don't know if any of these people have ever seen a car like this in their lives, but if there's one thing I don't like, it's this — making an impression.

Jacob leads the way inside while Sam unloads the bags, and the first thing I notice is exactly how connected to the outside world these people are. There's satellite tv in the little office, and the girl behind the counter is on her cell phone. She's can't be more than nineteen. My mind instantly goes to Isabella Swan, and I wonder if this girl would know her. She sees us as soon as we step inside — three tall, well-built, otherwise imposing men she's probably never seen, and her hazel eyes widen immediately.

"I'll have to call you back," she says into her phone before promptly closing it. "Welcome to Forks Motel. Are we checking in?"

I move to do all the paperwork when James stops me.

"I've got this," he says with his most charming smile. "You two go get the, uh, bags."

The look on his face makes my stomach turn, and I glance at Jacob before turning to leave. "Watch him," I say to Jacob.

He simply nods, and I step outside so I don't have a front row seat to another one of James' explicit displays.

The air outside is cool and clean, but it's much more comfortable here than anywhere I've ever been. It's nothing like what home used to be, and I say used to be because I haven't been there is a very long time. Clouds are rolling in from the west, and my instincts tell me rain is close. I didn't get a chance to look around on the way in, but this place looks so quaint and untouched. I'm amazed they have satellite and cell phone towers. But I can't think about this place. I have a job to do here, and no matter what my feelings are, I won't ever come back here.

"Rooms six and seven," I hear and turn to see Jacob and a very unhappy James coming out of the front office. "Let's get in for the night before it starts raining."

I don't pause, following his lead with Sam close on my heels.

Even though it shouldn't matter, I instantly choose Jacob to room with me, relegating James to sit with Sam all night, but before that, we have to talk over what we're going to do. I have to call Aro so he'll know we've arrived, but first I want to go for a walk so I have a layout of the area around the house. The woods surrounding this town have a slightly encroaching feeling, and it's such an unfamiliar sensation that I need to adjust before I finish this mark.

"We'll have tonight to set up," I say as James and I go over the intel I've kept with me until now. "Jacob will stay at a distance in case I need him. I'll go in first to secure the house, and I'll call you as soon as it's dark."

He's not happy about this set-up, especially with me going in first. I want this to be clean, one way or another. If Aro wants these people to die, it's my job to do it. But if James gets in the way or even attempts to break out his brand of play and torture, it's going to be his head I ventilate. And that will be a small price to pay for disobeying a direct order from my boss.

The frown that's developed over James' face through this plan fades as soon as he picks up a photo of the daughter. He licks his lips and leans in to kiss the photo. "Damn, she looks practically edible," he cackles. "You sure you don't wanna have a go at her before we waste her?"

I take the photo from him and stand up to leave since we're sitting in his room. "Yes," I say with as much finality as I can. "I'm sure. Get some sleep. We're moving in the morning."

He scoffs as I leave, and Sam replaces me in an instant.

"Sedatives are in the front pocket of his bag if you need them," I whisper.

Sam barely nods in acknowledgment, stepping into the room and closing the door.

With the folder in hand, I move down to my room with Jacob, easing inside as he's laying out the long-range rifle he intends to use in the morning. I close the reports and photos inside my bag, stowing it under my bed and then pulling a hooded jacket out to slip it on so I can leave by myself.

"I'm going for a walk," I say to Jacob.

He nods the same way Sam did, and I step out of the room silently into the growing darkness that's enveloped the small town almost completely.

The chill on the wind tries to cut through my jacket as I descend stairs to the lower level and then out the front entrance of the motel to the sidewalk. It's quiet and breezy, and I use the GPS on my phone to follow the street that goes through the middle of town toward the road that leads to the Swan house. I take great care to not be noticed, but there aren't many people out to see me.

Before I've walked two hundred feet, I decide to get off the street and confine myself to the tall trees between me and Fern Hill Road. There aren't many cars in the parking lot I cut through or shelter in the field between me and a group of houses on the north side of a line of trees separating me from my destination. Just as I reach the trees, the sky literally opens up, dropping heavy rain drops as a crack of lightning illuminates the area around me. I only have to walk a little further to find my stopping place.

The house is tiny, pristine white and lit up like a fucking Christmas tree with every light in the house on, which means I have a great view inside since none of the curtains are pulled. I move around the exterior slowly, staying hidden and then tucking away between a few trees that allow me to watch the front without anyone seeing me.

A grey/blue police cruiser occupies the left side of the driveway, and a rust red 1950s Chevy truck sets beside it unabashedly. The front lawn is neatly manicured, and a small garden lays just yards off to the right. It's almost too good to be true.

The rain has done nothing to dampen the warmth coming off this house, and it makes me a little uncomfortable. None of my other marks have elicited a feeling like this, and I hate that I'm feeling like this now. Why did I tell Aro I would do this? It's wrong.

I'm about to leave when the front door opens, allowing a tall, dark-haired, thick mustached man in a flannel shirt and jeans out into the heavy rain. The photos I've seen tell me this is Charlie Swan, and almost immediately after he steps outside, a woman with light brown hair follows him.

"Be careful, Charlie!" she yells. Renee.

He just nods and waves, sliding into the truck and pulling out of the drive slowly. I don't know where he's going, but I feel compelled to stay until he comes back. There's something about all of this that stirs a measure of defiance in me that's dangerous and stupid. I can't disobey Aro now. And I can't give James the satisfaction of knowing he could possibly do a better job at this than I will.

But when Charlie Swan comes back with two armfuls of groceries and a small sack of Subway sandwiches, I know it doesn't matter what I do.

This mark will be the one that either makes me or breaks me.

I wait until the house is dark to leave. It's unusual that I don't want to get a layout of the house before I start my work, but in this case, something's off. I have to get my head back on before I come near this place again.

Jacob is still awake when I make it back to the motel, but I don't say anything to him, changing for bed and laying over the covers.

"We're leaving at four-thirty," I tell him, switching off the lamp beside my bed. "Get some sleep."

He doesn't argue, and within minutes, I'm asleep.

My dream from the night before persists, and the emerald images mold with golden sunlight before I see those eyes again. They watch me intently, pleading and wishing and . . . changing me. I've never seen eyes like these in all my life, and they see inside me like none before them ever have. I can't look away from them no matter how much I want to. And then I don't want to look away at all.

I wake up remembering what Kate said to me before I left Italy.

"_You have to find someone who makes you want to change."_

It's still dark, and the alarm on my phone is going off. For a minute, I want to forget everything she's ever said to me. I have a job to do. No matter what she says, I know I'll never change, and it doesn't matter who I meet. No one will ever change me.

Jacob is awake. I can hear him breathing and muttering about something, and I sit up with the intention of getting dressed so we can leave. Then I remember the images of my dream, and I don't know what it means. Will I ever know?

"It's four-thirty, Cullen," Jacob says.

"Yeah, I know. You should have your coordinates. Get Sam and go. The less James knows, the better."

He doesn't argue, rising and dressing in the darkness. I wait until he's gone with his equipment to do the same, taking my phone and thinking seriously about not calling Aro to tell him we're about to move in. If I don't, he'll think something is wrong. So without pausing, I dial his number as I stand alone in my motel room.

"Edward, my protégé, I was wondering when you would call me," he says as soon as he answers.

"We've only been in town a few hours," I tell him. "It's four-thirty. We're about to go in."

"Very good. This should be an easy task for you to complete, Edward. And remember to call me as soon as it's finished. I'll send in a cleaning crew after you've left the area."

The absence of emotion in his voice unnerves me, but I can't let it show. "Yes, sir."

He hangs up before I do, and once that's taken care of, I get dressed so I can wake up James.

My partner still thinks we're going to move in and just kill everyone, but I know he'll try to torture the first person he sees. I have to make sure he doesn't get that chance. Whether that means he'll be dead before they are, I don't know yet.

He's snoring when I step into the room, still dressed Thank God, and when I slam the door shut, he pops up instantly.

"I'm up!"

Then he sees me and sighs, laying back down. "What the fuck, Cullen?"

"Get up. It's time."

He wants to argue but doesn't, switching on the lamp and moving to his bag to get his clothes before he strips down right there. He does this because he thinks it's funny how uncomfortable it makes me, but honestly, right now, I'm just disgusted by him.

As soon as he's dressed, we leave the motel. It's still dark and raining, but the sky has turned from a dark blue to a deep grey, with the light of dawn closer than I want it to be. We walk from the motel, leaving the car in the parking lot and taking my same path from the night before toward the house where Jacob and Sam should already be set up in case something goes wrong.

My phone buzzes with a text, and I read it without letting James see that Jacob has acknowledged that he can hear me as we walk.

"Why couldn't we eat breakfast at least?" James grumbles.

My phone buzzes again. _Tell him to shut up before I kill him just on principle._

I laugh softly, but I don't say anything.

We stop at the line of trees where I stood several hours earlier, and with little hesitation, I take my semi-automatic Desert Eagle from my bag to slip it into my side holster.

"Stay here," I tell James. "It should only take half an hour to secure the house. Don't do anything stupid."

He smirks and then scoffs.

I leave him there without saying anything else.

The front door is locked but not impossible to pick, and I quietly move through the front room of the house to see everything dark and quiet. The bottom step creaks as I put my foot on it, and I wait to make sure I haven't woken anyone in the house before moving up the steps to the second floor. The house smells faintly of turkey and marinara sauce, and I remember seeing the sandwich bags the night before. It gives the house a distinctly homey feel, and that makes me feel even worse than I did before.

The first door I come to is cracked open, and I step inside silently to keep from waking its occupant. Light from the window illuminates only a small portion of the room, and a single-size mattress sets in the middle of room. Dark-colored sheets stir slightly, and I move in to make sure this is the daughter's room.

She's sleeping so peacefully, and I feel like the evil intruder I am as I look at her without moving or blinking. My instincts are shifting, reforming and unilaterally reconstructing in the moments before she opens her eyes slowly.

Then she looks at me as I aim the barrel of my gun at her.

But she doesn't scream. She just stares at me.

Either the darkness of her room or the weight of her sleep is preventing her from knowing she should be terrified of me.

But it strikes me almost instantly, and I know what's wrong with me.

I can't kill her.

* * *

**Okay, we all knew this part was coming, but can you guess what's coming up next? Some of you might be thinking James is too sick and twisted for his own good. What do you think Edward will do to him?**

**I see a lot of people reading, but not a lot of people are saying anything. Surely something must be on your mind.  
**

**Next chapter should be up in a week or so! Later!  
**


	7. The Shift

******Okay. So it's a little late, but I promise I have a good reason. And plus, now that the whole site is in absolute uproar over fics being pulled, I don't how much longer I'm going to be posting these stories - or any of the stories I have that are incomplete right now.  
**

**But if I do go elsewhere, I'll be sure to let you all know. There are some really great sites out there that offer better content even if you have to register to read them. Come on, it's free and you get access to the whole site!  
**

**So here we go with this chapter. We're moving right along, and there's some violence and gunfire in this chapter. So I hope you're not squeamish. It's really nothing.  
**

**I don't own Twilight, but I'm giving Edward a gun with a conscience, so blame me for that.  
**

**This is also un-beta'd, so any mistakes you see are mine.  
**

* * *

**The Shift**

What do I do? I can't move or speak. How much time has passed? If I don't do something now, James will come in. He'll see that I haven't killed her. I won't be able to stop him from going crazy. Her parents are down the hall. They'll be dead in seconds.

Fuck, why can't I move?

"Cullen."

Jacob's voice startles me, but my feet remain frozen to the floor.

"What's going on?"

Feeling returns to my hands and arms, and I do the only thing that makes sense, bringing my finger to my lips in a desperate hope that she'll understand. Her eyes never leave mine, and I force my feet to move out of the room to the dark hallway.

"Where's James?" I whisper to Jacob over the earpiece.

"Pacing outside the house. Looks like he really wants to move in. What's happening?"

I don't know how to explain this to him. Instead, I need to know where his loyalties lie. "Jacob, I need you to trust me. Do you trust me?"

"Of course. I've got your back, Cullen."

A few minutes pass, and I still haven't moved from where I stopped outside her room. "Good."

"Uh, maybe not," he says less than a minute before the door downstairs opens.

I've run out of time.

As quickly as I can, I step back into her room where she's now sitting up in her bed, and I press my finger to my lips before hurrying to her and then shoving her into the closet across the room from her bed. Hopefully, she won't move.

I know what I have to do now.

Charlie Swan can't die. I won't kill him. No one is going to kill him. But I can't let James think anything is wrong. I have to make him think she's dead.

Without thinking of the consequences — like waking anyone else up — I hastily aim my gun at her bed, shooting once and then backing out the room without another thought. James is coming up the stairs when I step into the hallway, and I close the door before he can see that I haven't killed anyone at all.

For a minute, it looks like he's convinced.

"Damn, I wanted to do her," he grumbles quietly.

With his own gun pulled, he nods down the hall toward the other bedroom. I have to follow him, keeping my aim on him and silently praying that Charlie Swan doesn't do something stupid — like try to be a hero.

There's movement inside the bedroom, and James stops outside the door with his gun ready. I'm watching him intently, wanting him to go in first because I know he's dumb enough to do it. He glances at me, grinning maniacally and then turning the doorknob slowly.

The room is dark, and the two people in the bed don't look like they've moved in several hours. But I know I heard someone moving less than a minute ago. I notice that while the daughter woke while I was standing over her, her mother and father don't look to be in peaceful slumber like she did. In fact, the closer I look, I can tell they're both breathing uneasily.

They're both awake — pretending to be asleep.

James moves around to be behind Charlie, leaving me to watch as he aims his gun at Renee. He looks at me and grins.

"Looks like I get the better shot anyway. We can do it together. On three."

He can't be serious.

"One."

He's serious.

"Two."

He really wants me to kill these people like we're a team. The Dynamic Fucking Duo.

But two can actually play at this game.

So when he pulls back the hammer of his gun and lays his finger on the trigger, I decide to play along, lifting my gun to aim it at him.

"Three."

My directness makes him pause, but only long enough for him to glance at me before he grins again.

"Really, Cullen?"

I can tell by his expression that he thinks I'm bluffing.

I don't bluff. He should know that by now.

"You want to gamble," he says. "Fine. I raise you one."

Without another second passing, he squeezes the trigger, firing the chambered bullet at Renee, and I'm barely quick enough to react, grabbing her arm and pulling her out of the way before the bullet hits her head. It hits her arm instead, and she cries out.

Charlie moves before James, rising out of the bed and pushing him down to the floor as another shot goes off. I see the flash, but I don't see a hit until James gets to his feet. He staggers backward, and in the dim light coming from the window, I can see something shiny over his left side. Blood spray on the white walls draws my attention, and that's when I see Charlie on the floor.

But he's not dead.

His gun is still aimed at James.

I push Renee behind me, still aiming at James and rising to face him.

"You are such a fucking traitor," he cackles.

Even though he's bleeding, I know I still have a long time before he goes down. Then he lowers his gun at Charlie.

There's no hesitation in the next move his makes as he fires again, no doubt aiming for Charlie's head. His mark moves, and I fire, hitting James' arm and causing him to stagger again. He laughs, moving around the end of the bed to the door.

"Aro said you would do this," he reveals, stepping slowly with his gun on me and firing a third time to hit me.

My reflexes are still a hundred times better than his, and I duck out of his aim a second before the bullet hits the wall behind me. He stumbles out of the room, and I follow him, fearing that he might be checking to make sure the girl's dead and having my fear realized instantly as he kicks her door open to step into her room.

She screams within a minute, and then he steps back into the hallway with her in front of him, his gun aimed at her head as his bloody hand holds her against him.

"Aro said it was up to me this time," he taunts. "He told me to make sure you saw me doing that girl. He told me about her and when she'd be there alone. That's why he gave you a day, Cullen. You're so fucking stupid."

What he's saying isn't supposed to make sense.

Why would Aro trust James over me? Regardless of my reactions, I've always done what I was told.

Until now.

"Aro told me that if you didn't do what you were told, I was supposed to kill you myself," James gloats. "He said I'm better than you, even after that Russian bitch got the upper hand on me."

He begins his descent down the stairs, and I follow him. The girl in his arms is terrified, as she should be, and she has no choice but to follow his pull as he drags her down the stairs while still aiming his gun at her.

"I'm gonna kill you, Cullen. And let's face it. You don't have the balls to kill me."

"No, but I do."

Kate's voice startles me as she appears behind him with her own small handgun aimed at his head. He turns to face her with Isabella still in front of him, and my entire body freezes less than a second before they both shoot at the same time.

I can't look away as her bullet slams into his head, knocking him backward with the girl still in his arms, and his bullet hits her right in the middle of her stomach. They fall down at the same time in two different directions, and I move instinctively, hurrying to Kate as she presses her hand to her wound.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I demand, pulling her jacket apart and see a large circle of blood already covering her shirt.

"Killing the bastard who killed my sister," she huffs through clenched teeth.

A soft cry reaches my ears, and I look back, seeing my mark rising from the body that's had her pinned.

"Go," Kate orders.

I don't move at first, and she pushes me away.

"Go!"

The distance between them is greater than I thought, and I make it to Isabella as she flinches away from me.

"It's okay," I whisper. "I won't hurt you."

A hammer being pulled back catches my ears, and I look up to see Charlie there with his gun on me.

"Who the hell are you? And what the fuck are you doing in my house?"

Making sure not to move, I answer him to the best of my knowledge. "My name is Edward Cullen. I'm the one who just saved your life. And I think you already know who sent me."

He puts his weapon away, hurrying down the stairs to where I'm kneeling next to his daughter. Once I make sure they're both all right, I hurry back to Kate. She's still bleeding a lot, and I don't have anything with me to stop it.

"Is she okay?" she pleads softly, lifting her bloody hand to my face.

"She is," I swear. "Of course now, I'm as good as dead. Kate, seriously, what were you thinking?"

A sob shakes her chest and tears leave her eyes in thick tracks down her pale cheeks. "I couldn't let him get away with it," she cries. "I — She's my family, Edward. No matter what she's done. She was always my sister."

I have to do something to comfort her, wrapping my arm around her and pressing my hand to her wound. She groans softly, and I whisper so that Jacob can still hear me. "I need you. Now."

"Got it."

"Edward," Kate pleads, "you have to make sure Aro can't hurt anyone like my sister anymore. These people. It's not right. I knew if I left, I'd be dead anyway — whether that son of a bitch shot me or not. Please. You have to make this worth it."

I know what she's asking me to do.

But if I do that, the world as I know it will cease to exist.

"Edward, please," she whispers, her whole body shaking in my arms as she bleeds to death.

She lowers her bloody hand to my shirt, grasping and then crying.

"I will," I say. "I'll make this worth it."

The door opens then, and her body goes slack in my hands as I lift my head to look at Jacob. He kneels beside me silently.

"You have to help me," I beg. "I need you to be with me on this. I need you to be my — my friend. Please."

He glances around the room, not speaking for probably a minute before he looks at me. "You probably have half an hour before another cop shows up. I heard the shots from my perch. No doubt the neighbors heard something and called the station."

I lean away from Kate, lifting my fingers to her neck to find a pulse. There isn't one.

"I have to call this in. But we need another body."

Jacob shakes his head, confused.

"If I call it in and send three bodies with the cleaners, it'll give you time to get her parents away from here."

"And exactly where am I supposed to take them? You know what Eleazar will do if he finds out."

I bow my head, still holding Kate's body close to mine. "I know. But it's the only thing I can think of to buy time. They won't check the bodies if they're already bagged up, and I'll call my father. Please, Jacob. I know what I'm asking. Believe me."

He again glances around and then looks at Kate.

"I'll send Sam to the station. He's been working there for me the last few months to keep Eleazar happy. He can keep them away a little longer. You get them ready. I'll get everything you need, and I'll call Seth. We'll help you, but you better make this worth it. Otherwise, we won't have a choice. I'll have to call Eleazar."

I nod. "I know. I understand. Just go."

He leaves without saying anything else, rising and leaving to perform the impossible task I've laid out in front of him.

Kate's eyes are still open when I look at her again, and my stomach actually turns when I have to close them. I never wanted her to die. None of this was supposed to happen. What am I supposed to do now?

"What did you say your name is again?" Charlie asks.

I lay her body back down and turn to face him as he puts his gun away. "Edward Cullen."

"And you're one of Aro's men?"

An involuntary laugh shakes my chest. "I was," I say.

I rise to face him, very aware of what I've done but unable to process it. Right now, I don't have time.

"We don't have a lot of time," I continue. "You and your family need to get dressed, and we have to get out of here. Now. Before the cleaning crew comes."

My words somehow kick him into gear, and he grabs his daughter to hurry back upstairs. I glance back at Kate, thinking she's almost Isabella's size. That'll be useful for later. The hurried footsteps upstairs draw my attention, and I run upstairs to make sure he's not getting more ammunition for his gun.

Instead, I find him tending to his wife's wound.

"I'll do that," I tell him. "Pack. Now."

She lifts wide blue eyes to me, her body arching away from me as I take her arm and gauge how bad her wound is. Once that's done, I shred a length of her night gown off to wrap it around her arm as tightly as I can.

"It's just a graze wound," I assure her. "Change. We don't have time for this."

I leave their room to make sure Isabella is getting dressed, but she's not in her room. I hurry downstairs and find the front door open. My instincts push me forward, and I'm running outside before I have a chance to worry about who might see me.

It's still raining, but I'm faster than she is, and I catch up to her before she can get to the next house. We fall to the ground together, and she screams before reaching out to scratch my face. Her fingernails are sharper than I thought, and I think I twist her arm too hard when I push it away from me.

"Running will only get you killed," I yell at her. "If you don't do what I tell you, they will hunt you down and kill you. I was supposed to. But you haven't done anything wrong, and you don't deserve to die. But if you run again, I'll tie you up myself."

Her eyes are wild with anger and fear, and she clenches her teeth against the pain in her arm that I'm sure I just broke.

"Bella!" I yell louder.

I don't know where the name comes from, but it comes from my mouth in such a way that she stops struggling. I let go of her arm and help her to her feet. Even in the dim light and heavy rain, I can see she's wearing shorts, shoes and a long-sleeved shirt that won't protect her from the elements. She stumbles when we start walking, and I lift her in my arms to carry her back to the house.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I whisper as I walk. "And I'm going to make sure no else comes back to finish this. I swear."

No argument comes from her as we make it to her porch, and Charlie and her mother are coming down the stairs. He doesn't look at all surprised to see me carrying his daughter, but the way she's cradling her arm startles him.

"You need to trust me," I tell him. "Because if you don't, we'll all die."

A nod is the only gesture he offers, and I lay her in his arms so he can take her upstairs and get her changed.

I have to call this in, but I need to wait until the absolute last possible second so Aro won't suspect anything.

I remember everything James said, and I know I've been set up. The problem is that James is dead, and Aro can't know that until the bodies are delivered to Headquarters in Italy.

I need more time, but I don't know where it's going to come from.

* * *

**I don't know if this will be the last chapter posted here for good, but I do know it will be a little while before the next one is posted. I'm going through an extensive move from the house I'm in right now to another house, so I'm packing and reorganizing. Please bear with me while I'm moving, and we'll see where we are at the end of this month.**

**Now, while I've got your attention down here, I've opened an account at TWCS to possibly move my Mature-rated stories to that site. Hopefully all will go smoothly, and once I've got everything moved, I'll put links in my profile for you to follow. Don't forget though, I think you'll have to register, but again, come on, it's free!  
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**Tell me what you think of this chapter and anything else that's on your mind.  
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**Later!  
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	8. Cover Up

******Okay, I know I said I might not be posting, but you know what, I ain't gonna let anybody stop me. Plus I had this ready since the move is going pretty good. So here we are.**

**I'll also be posting this on the other site, and we'll see how things go for the next time I post.  
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**By the end of this chapter, I hope we all get a sense that things have changed.  
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**I don't own Twilight, but I do own a lot of empty journals that will come in handy when my writing abandons me, which I'm sure will happen one day, just not any day soon.  
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**Also, this is unbeta'd, so any mistakes you see are mine. And thanks for the alerts, favorites and reviews.  
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**See you at the bottom!  
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* * *

**Cover Up**

Bella's arm isn't broken, thankfully. But I've pulled a muscle in her forearm, and after she's dressed in heavier clothes, I sit her at the table in the kitchen to wrap her arm in an ace bandage given to me by Renee before she and Charlie continue packing.

I still don't know how I was able to calm her down. I don't understand why she wasn't afraid of me when I walked into her room ready to kill her.

Now that I'm thinking about it, she's not the first mark I've face who'd behaved this way. And it occurs to me that every person I've ever had to shoot that was collateral damage had looked at me the way she's looking at me right now.

Stefan knew he was going to die the minute he saw me on that icy road in the middle of Siberia. But Irina had expected us to let her live. Maybe if I'd been the one meant to shoot her, she might have. I convinced myself that she was just as bad as Stefan and Vladimir because she deserted her family. But the truth is, I don't know why she did, and now I probably never will.

I hear car doors closing outside, and I leave Bella at the table to see if it's Jacob. Instead, I see a police cruiser flashing its lights, and I immediately tense up, laying my hand over my gun as it sets under my left arm and thinking I'll either have to kill them or figure out how to send them away.

Kate and James are still lying in the floor, dead, and I'm covered in Kate's blood.

Then a tall, well-built figure rises out of the car, and after a minute, the light from a lamp post still shining illuminates Sam's face. Relief courses through me as I wait for him to come to the door, and I can already see the sky lighting up with the coming of dawn.

Sam moves to the trunk of the car and tucks a large, black package under his right arm before hurrying to the porch where I open the door for him.

"Jake thought this would make it easier to keep the neighbors from suspecting anything," he explains with a nod to the car. "He also said you needed a body — preferably a female body."

I nod and let him inside, realizing the black package he's carrying is actually the familiar shape of black body bags. "And we have to move fast. If the bodies are already bagged up, the cleaning crew won't open them until they're back in Headquarters."

He smiles uncharacteristically. "Well, then let's get busy."

There's no more discussion as we move to put the bags in place. We bag James' body first, taking out his tracker and zipping him up without ceremony before moving to where Kate's body is lying. Somehow, Sam knows to be gentle with her, and after she's inside, I kneel beside her.

The necklace around her neck is one her father gave her, Irina and Tanya as little girls. Their family is Orthodox Catholic, and their ancestors are from Old Russia, so when Kate, Tanya and Irina each turned twelve, Eleazar gave them a locket filled with herbs and minerals that were supposed to ward off evil spirits and protect them from dying young. Two down, one to go.

I know this because Kate told me one night after I got back from a mark in the depths of South America where I was hunting down one of Aro's older enemies. I also know because I gave one just like Kate's to Aro before leaving Volterra to come here. But I'm keeping Kate's, so no one will be able to display it like a trophy. I also take her phone, just in case.

I also know she has a tracker in her left arm, and I remove it quickly, leaning over to kiss her one last time before Sam closes the bag. Her words play over in my head, and I know I have to make all of this worth something. I have to make sure Aro can't hurt anyone else — starting with this family that did nothing but stand up for what they knew was right.

Together, Sam and I move the bodies from the front door, and we're finishing up when Charlie and Renee come down with bags in their hands. I stand still as Bella rushes to them from the kitchen, and Charlie catches her as she wraps her arms around him. After a few seconds, he glances at me, and I can see in his eyes that he knows what has to happen now.

"Bella," he says softly, leaning back to look at her. "Everything's gonna be okay. But your mother and I can't go with you right now. It's not safe."

"Not safe?" she repeats. "What does that mean?"

"I mean, you have to go with Edward. He saved us tonight, and he knows what he's doing. If we stay together, they'll find us. And I want you safe, more than anything else."

She looks at me, grasping onto his shirt tightly. Then she lifts her eyes to his. "Will I ever see you again?"

Charlie bows his head and tries to nod even though it's obvious he knows it can't happen until Aro is either locked away or dead along with the man he's been trying to destroy for the last several years. "I hope so, honey."

Tears fill her eyes, and a soft sob escapes her body as she moves forward to put her arms around him again. "Daddy, I'm scared," she whispers.

I have to look away to give them as much time as possible since I know it's very likely they won't see each other for the next several weeks, months or years.

The front door opens then, allowing Jacob inside with the bags James and I left in the car.

"We gotta go," he informs me. "Even with those lights flashing, somebody called the station and got another deputy from another town over."

"I'll handle that," Sam says. "Help me with the body in the car first."

They both leave together, and on my trek to the door, Charlie stops me before I can follow them.

"You better do what you say you can," he orders. "Whatever I've done is on me, but if anything happens to my daughter or Renee, you can believe it'll haunt you for the rest of your life. And if I die, so will I. I'm guessin' you can't tell me where you're going."

I look at Renee and Bella, shaking my head as my eyes meet his again.

He bows his head, giving in and still holding Bella close to him.

Jacob and Sam come back with a third body bag, but this one already has a body in it. They don't offer to show me who's inside it, and I don't ask, moving to Jacob's side slowly.

"You have to get Charlie and Renee out of here now. I'll take the truck in the driveway and head south. They need to be as far away from here by tonight as possible. We'll have at least a day to get somewhere safe. I'll call my father before I get too far, and even if he'll have to call Aro, it'll give me time to figure out what to do."

He nods and lifts his hands to his waist. "We'll head out to the reservation to get supplies, and then we'll head north. If we have a day to work with, we should be able to get to safety. And we'll have to come up with a new way to communicate. Calling and texting are out. And that earpiece will cut out at a hundred miles. What do you suggest?"

"We might not be able to for a few days — at least until I know what I'm going to do. If you need to, call my father, but don't tell him what you're doing. The less he knows, the better."

Reluctance drifts across his face, but he agrees and nods again. "It's what's best."

He turns to leave, but I grab his arm to stop him. "You don't work for Aro anymore," I tell him, meaning to clarify what this means. "We don't work for anyone anymore. If you have to take them somewhere and leave them to keep them from being found, if you're found, you take it to your grave. Understand?"

Though he doesn't take his arm from my hand immediately, when he pulls away, I don't stop him.

"I got it," he says.

"Good. Now go. I have to call it in. A local team will come. We all need to be long gone by then."

He doesn't question me, nodding to Sam and then turning to Charlie and Renee as they huddle around Bella. They all look at me, and Renee's eyes fill with tears before she hugs her daughter again, tighter than I've ever seen. Charlie only waits a minute, pulling her to him and then turning to follow Jacob.

"We gotta go, baby," he whispers to his wife. "It's gonna be okay. She's gonna be fine. Let's go."

He doesn't give Renee a chance to resist, pulling her to the door and then out the door and leaving me alone in the house with three dead bodies and one very scared 18-year-old girl. She looks at me, but I don't know what to say. I don't know what to do.

We can't wait much longer, so without saying anything, I move toward her to get her bag along with mine and James'. There are keys by the door, and just by looking at them, I know which one goes to the rust bucket in the driveway. That truck won't get more than fifty-five on the highway. It'll have to be dumped once we're far enough away to keep the local cops from finding it on the side of the road.

She doesn't say anything as we leave, allowing me to pull her to the truck as she cradles her arm. Once she's inside the cab and buckled in, I take out my phone to call the local cleaner — and lie as best as I can without alerting him that anything is wrong.

A deep, monotone voice answers the number I've called, instantly requesting identification. "Code in, please."

Without hesitation, I comply. "19860620-3413934-1473936."

"Report."

"One male, two females. Head, stomach, and heart. Time was 0445. Local authorities have been taken care of. Bodies have been bagged and tagged. Vacating the area within the hour. All evidence needs to be disposed of within the next twenty-four."

"Rate of collateral damage?"

While standing in front of the side of the truck where Bella's sitting and thinking of Irina before she died, it's easy for me to lie about this one. "Zero."

"Cleaning crew is inbound. Inform Headquarters before you leave the area."

He hangs up before I can, and I turn my phone off before going back into the house to make sure there's no evidence of anyone leaving the house alive except for me. I don't have time to check upstairs, and I can't make time, hurrying back to the truck to climb in behind the wheel and turn the ignition over.

It doesn't start at first, and I try for a second and third time before she speaks again.

"You have to double-pump the clutch."

Following her input, I do as she says, and instantly, the truck roars to life, groaning as I pump the gas again and whining as I put it in gear to back out of the driveway. It's still dim for pre-dawn hours, but the sun is close to rising. We can't stay here any longer. As I pull into the street and then speed up to get to the highway, I glance over at her in time to see two thick tears fall from her eyes.

My fingers are literally itching to comfort her, but I don't know how, especially since it's partially my fault that this is all happening. I could've killed James in London, in New York, and in Seattle, but I chose not to. The ache in my chest that began the moment I saw Bella in her bed and then allowed her to look at me is worse now than anything I've ever felt in my life. But I can't allow it to grow until I know Aro thinks she and her parents are all dead.

I get to the stop sign at the end of the street, pausing as a car passes and pulling out my phone again. My fingers hover over my father's name and Aro's, and I want to know my family is safe before I venture into seriously uncharted territory. I don't look as I press my finger to the screen, waiting for the voice on the other end to dictate what words I use to explain what I've just done.

"Edward, my boy, I was expecting your call. Is it done?"

Trying not to hesitate, I speak as resolutely as possible. "Yes. I just called the cleaning crew. It'll be done within the hour."

He laughs his fake laugh, and my skin crawls instantly. "That's good news. So I'll get your report when you come back."

My eyes find Bella's as she watches me from the other side of the cab of the truck. "Of course. We're on our way now."

"Well, I take it by your demeanor that everything went according to plan. Were there any problems?"

"No."

"Very good. I'll see you when you come back, and then we will see where the intel on Vladimir puts us."

He hangs up, and then I do, finally realizing that I've been sitting at the stop sign for the entire phone call before I turn to the south to leave town — at least for now.

We're pulling passed the city limit sign and then another that says _Come back soon!_ before I pull my phone out again — this time watching my finger as it taps my father's number and immediately dials his phone.

He's two hours ahead of me and has probably already read the cleaning report I sent in, but I have to tell him what I've done. He won't like what I'm about to say, but if I don't tell him, more people will die — people I care about.

"Don't tell me James is already getting on your nerves," he chuckles upon answering.

His laugh and the relaxed tone in his voice tell me he's home with my mother and Alice.

Without thinking of a good excuse, I immediately tell him the truth. "No, he's dead. Kate killed him. And she's dead too. James shot her."

The laughing stops almost as soon as it started, and he's silent another minute before speaking softly.

"But the report says you finished the job." He pauses and exhales. "Edward, what have you done?"

Again, I tell him the truth. "Ignored my training and followed my conscience. Just like you taught me before you sent me to Italy. To Aro."

"But the report — "

"I lied. I couldn't do it, Dad. I couldn't kill a girl who's only two years younger than my sister. And I wasn't going to let James kill her either. But Kate showed up and killed him before I could."

He's quiet another minute before his tone changes to the unemotional, clean, cold slate he uses when he's addressing trainees. "Tell me exactly what happened," he commands. "Now."

Although I've already given him a few details, I start at the beginning — going back to when James killed Irina like she was a whipped dog.

I should've already accepted Irina's death, but after telling Kate and seeing how angry it made her, I can't. It was completely unnecessary and senseless. James shot her just for the fun of it, and if I'd been in his shoes, I know now that I wouldn't have killed her. I might have injured her as a warning not to reveal who I was to Vladimir, but she didn't deserve to die for that.

While I'm on the phone with my father, I realize something about Irina that I never could have if I hadn't watched James kill her. And now that he's exposed all of Aro's intentions with this mark on Charlie, I'm questioning everything I've done in the last eight years of my life. Kate even said Aro wanted to train me because of the way I'd been raised — because I was good. What does that mean?

I'm finished telling my father about everything that's happened up to this point where I'm aimlessly driving down Hwy 101 toward the next town when he pauses to take in what I've said. The question bubbles up without prompting.

"Dad, why did Aro agree to train me?"

He's quiet for maybe half a minute, reciting the reason he's been giving me since I was eighteen. "We did it for you to be safe, Edward," he says, the strain in his voice obvious now that I've laid probably the biggest bomb on him ever in my entire life.

"Yeah," I agree. "But why did he want me? I was a kid. And you had the means to protect me at home."

"Aro wanted what was best. What's prompted this? Did James say something before he — " He stops, exhales and clears his throat.

"Sort of," I reply. "He said Aro set this whole mark up — to see if I could kill an innocent family. He said it was a set up to see if I would fail. And I did." Everything Kate said to me resonates instantly, and I unwillingly relay all of it to him. "Kate said he wanted me because I'm good — like I have more than everyone else in his organization. Not just good like accomplished, but good like the opposite of evil."

My father thinks on this for the length of time it takes me to drive a couple of miles, responding completely different from how I expect him to. "You followed your conscience tonight because of me. I'm not saying you've done wrong, but this was the worst thing you could possibly do."

I don't deny anything he says, glancing at Bella to see her sitting there silently with tear after tear streaking down her face.

"What do you need me to do?" he asks when I don't respond.

The deep breath I pull in feels more compulsory than any I've ever taken. "Anything you can. When Aro finds out what I've done, Mom and Alice will be in danger. Tanya will be in danger. Nearly everyone I know will be at risk, and I have my hands full. You have to keep him from knowing what I've told you. I have to figure out what I'm going to do, and I need time."

His silence is deafening, but only because I know he's wracking his brain for a solution neither of us has at the moment. My father and I have always thought alike, and it's one of the reasons why I've always refused to take down innocent people unless it was absolutely necessary. I know now that none of those people had to die. They were a test — a test I'd been passing up until now.

Tonight, I failed my test.

I did something tonight that goes against everything I've been taught. I saved someone knowing what it meant for me and everyone I knew. But I can't take it back. I don't want to. It was the right thing to do.

"I'll call Emmett and Jasper," my father says after a few more minutes. "At this point, it's impossible to trust anyone else. And we won't be able to avoid Aro forever. He has spotters nearly everywhere, and it will be difficult enough to find a place where he doesn't have any influence. I'll send you coordinates of everywhere I can think of where you'll be safe until you figure out what to do. But the most I can give you is a day, maybe two. It's the most I can give any of us at this point."

The day has already begun, and the black trees have slowly begun to turn deep green. Soon, the town of Forks will wake up and discover that the Swan family has either left town to destinations unknown or been kidnaped by a local mob — only one of which is actually true. But with it being a small town, I can only imagine the rumors that will start beyond today and tomorrow.

I don't know will happen to me after today or tomorrow.

But if it's the last thing I do, Aro won't ever order another hit like this. I'll kill him myself if I have to — to make him stop.

"Does anyone know where you're going?" my father asks after he's ominously predicted our demise.

I think of Jacob and know I can trust him, but if a tracker gets to him before he gets Charlie and Renee to safety, I have to be prepared to change my tactics. "Only Jacob. But I know what to do to cover my tracks."

"I'll call him in the next twelve hours if he doesn't call me. It'll have to be on a secure line, but I'll get him to safety. Turn off your phone after I've sent you the coordinates, and take the battery out so they can't track you through the GPS."

"I will," I say.

"And don't forget about your own tracker, Edward. Right now, Aro probably thinks you're traveling to a safe house. You have to make sure he keeps thinking that. The one closest to you is in Sacramento."

"Right."

This ends our conversation, and I hang up in anticipation of his text while also thinking of way to have Aro think everything is okay.

Silence fills the cab of the truck as I drive, but probably five minutes after I've finished talking to my father, Bella speaks for the first time since we left her house.

"What's going to happen to me now?"

I glance at her again. She's still crying. My fingers are still itching, tingling like I need to hold her even though I don't know why I'm feeling like this.

"You're going to be safe," I say, grasping onto the steering wheel as tightly as I can. "And once Aro is dead, you'll be able to stop running."

"But now?"

"Now it's not safe for you to be on your own. We'll get to the next town, and I'll figure out what to do then."

She sniffles and wipes her cheeks, pulling her legs up to her chest and wrapping her arms around her shins tightly. "Will I ever see my parents again?" she whispers.

"I don't know," I say as honestly as I can. "But Jacob won't let anything happen to them if he can help it. And I trust him."

"I'm scared," she sobs, crying a little harder and obviously needing someone to reassure her of what she's being told.

Slowly, while keeping one hand on the wheel, I reach for her without taking my eyes off the road. She hesitates for probably a couple of seconds before scooting across the seat and curling up beside me with her head on my shoulder. Warmth and softness threaten to envelope my whole body, and it takes me a minute to adjust to the way she feels against me.

"I'll protect you," I whisper to her. "You can lean on me now, all right?"

Though she doesn't speak, she buries her head in the crook of my neck and cries more softly than I ever thought anyone possibly could.

* * *

**James is gone, but Edward's troubles are only just beginning. And on a side note, his ID number is a combo of his birthdate, hair color and eye color. I looked it up. ;-)**

**I'll repeat down here that I don't know when I'll be able to post again. The move is still going, so we'll see where we are this time next week.  
**

**Tell me how you think the shit might hit the fan.  
**

**See ya later!  
**


	9. New Tactics

******Not a lot to say up here. Edward and Bella will be on the road for a little while before the shit hits the fan, but for now, they're getting to know each other.  
**

**I don't own Twilight, but someday . . .  
**

**This is also un-beta'd, so any mistakes you see are mine.  
**

**See you at the bottom.  
**

* * *

**New Tactics**

It's easier to find a restaurant in Hoquiam than a gas station, but I find a Shell across the street from a McDonald's. It's now seven in the morning, but there are already more than two dozen cars in the parking lot. I need to get rid of this truck, and I know the only place to do that is going to be in that gas station.

Bella has been quiet this whole time. She's still curled up into my side, and in the silence of the truck, she's fallen asleep with her head still on my shoulder. Her tears stopped flowing the moment she went under. I'm afraid to wake her. She's been through enough.

The jerk of the truck stopping as I pull into a space next to a big black SUV wakes her abruptly, and she pushes me away before looking in my direction. It takes a few seconds to remember where she is, and a soft sigh passes her lips.

"Where are we?" she asks softly.

"Gas station. Do you need to go to bathroom, or are you hungry?"

She scoffs and scoots away from me. "You think I can eat?"

"You need to," I say as gently as I can. "It's gonna be a long drive, and we can't make many stops. And we have to get rid of this truck. Now."

Her eyes skim the parking lot as she looks around, and it isn't until she grabs her bag and then the door handle that I realize what she's doing. Then she looks at me. "There's a truck over there that's the same make as mine," she says, pointing to a deep purple Chevy truck that's probably thirty years newer than the one we're sitting in.

Without too much thought, I pick up James' bag along with mine and open the door at my side, leaving her keys in the ignition. "Works for me."

Neither of us hesitate, getting out of her truck and hurrying to the end of the parking lot to the other truck as it waits in the growing light of early morning. I feel moderately bad considering there's no one in the lot getting gas or in the store, so this means the two vehicles sitting here probably belong to an employee. Fortunately for me and Bella, this is the last thing on my mind as we slide up into the truck as it sets unlocked.

The interior is dark grey and smells faintly of gas and peppermint. Of course, there are no keys, but I've been hot-wiring cars and trucks since I was fifteen, so a 1986 Chevy truck is no match for me. As soon as I've got the engine started, I pull around the back of the station and then onto the road to go around a few blocks and hit the McDonald's without anyone in the gas station from seeing that I've just stolen their truck.

I have enough cash to grab breakfast through the drive-through, and as soon as that's done, I pull onto a road that will hopefully carry us to the other gas station that's on the north side of the town.

"What about the person who owns this truck?" Bella asks just as we pull into a 7-Eleven that's filled to the brim with people getting gas and buying food.

"We can't think about that right now," I say, leaving the engine on and picking up my bag. "Just eat. I need to get a paper."

It's not easy to leave her in the truck alone, but I have to get my tracker out before we get too far or sit for too long.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to get a paper. Stay here. I'll be right back."

She lifts her eyes to mine, and for the first time, I realize how innocent and warm and scared they are. Deep brown irises gaze back at me, and I'm frozen as I sit with the door to my side standing wide open. Without saying anything, she's pleading with me not to leave her alone, and in an unfamiliar move, I'm unable to deny her.

I don't speak, and neither does she, scooting to her door and pushing it open as I slide out from behind the driver's side to meet her at the curb. We don't have time to do much, and then I need to find a place to stay so I can take out my tracker.

When she grabs my hand, I'm so surprised that I stop on the sidewalk, facing her as she tips her chin defiantly. There's nothing I can say, pulling her along so I can get what I need and leave. Now my hand and fingers are twitching and squeezing. It's so unfamiliar to hold anyone's hand. I can't even remember the last time I held my sister's hand. But I can't let her hand go for anything. I've never been so connected to anyone in my life — not even Kate.

The local paper screams its own petty headlines, but that's not what I'm interested in. The only way I can safely take out my tracker is to not make a mess while doing so, and I can't use any towels from wherever I go. I've never had to do it before today, but I know where mine is. I just have to get it out.

Bella doesn't say anything the entire time, holding my hand and at one point, my eyes as I purchase the paper so we can leave the gas station. When we get back to the truck, she scoots to the middle of the seat to sit close to me, and I pull out of the parking lot without a word about her behavior. It's dangerous what she's doing, but I can't find the words to tell her. I'm not the kind of person she wants to get close to. It doesn't matter what Kate said, or even what my father said. I'm a killer.

The safest motel is in the next town over, in Aberdeen, and I have to make a circle around where I took the truck to keep its owner from seeing me. I'll probably have to get rid of it before we leave the area, but I'll deal with that when everything else is taken care of.

"Where are we going?"

Her voice startles me out of my thoughts. She's still sitting close to me, and I can't find the strength to push her away.

"I have to take my tracker out," I say without any further explanation.

The parking lot of the motel is empty, but there's a car next to the front office. I park there and leave Bella in the truck, somehow silently telling her to stay put while I get a room. The elderly woman behind the counter eyes me strangely but doesn't say anything as she gives me a key and has me sign papers that probably say that if I die in the room, the motel isn't liable for my death.

That's reassuring.

I gather the bags with me and Bella, who's now carrying our breakfast, from the truck as soon as it's parked, guiding her inside and depositing her on the bed so I can do what I need to do and then leave.

"Eat," I tell her. "As soon as I'm done with this, we need to leave."

She doesn't argue, watching me step into the bathroom.

I have to listen for a minute to make sure she's not bolting, deciding to leave the door cracked before I open my bag to find the first aid kit I've had to bring along with me in case my knucklehead of a partner gets himself shot or stabbed or got forbid, killed. It should have everything I need, except a knife. That comes from James' bag.

Kate's tracker was in her left upper arm, between her biceps and her humerus. It wasn't easy to take out, but I knew it was there because of the scar she had. James' tracker was in his right leg just above his knee. Mine . . . is in my right hip. I know this, not only because of the scar, but also because my father saw it when he did x-rays after my stay in Aro's special treatment center.

The clothes I'm in are discarded along with the underwear I know I'm about to use to keep blood from going everywhere. The newspaper will catch the rest. I have to twist in an odd direction to see what I'm doing, and it's uncomfortable to say the least as I take the knife and begin tracing my finger along the scar to feel the little metal casing.

"Edward."

Her voice startles me again, and I almost drop the knife in my hands, glancing over my shoulder to see her nudging the door open. She's watching me stand there naked with a knife in my hand, and she's saying my name. Did I tell her my name?

"I want to help you," she says, keeping her eyes on mine as she moves closer.

She's bold, undoubtedly, and it's causing the strangest reaction in my pulse and then my breathing. Not once does she avert her eyes from mine, sitting on the toilet and then taking the knife from my hand.

"Just tell me what to do."

Astonishment and disbelief swim inside my head and my chest, and I turn the front of my body from her to face the sink. It's not easy to catch my breath after this and focus. Before I realize it, I'm speaking softly.

"You need to cut along the scar," I say, still tracing with my finger, "here. The tracker is under a layer of muscle, and it needs to be cut from my skin."

This is the only instruction I give her, feeling the sharp edge of the blade slice through my skin gently. Heat erupts through my hip and then my thigh, and I watch her work as blood begins oozing from the re-opened wound. For a minute, she looks sick, and her skin pales, but she keeps going. Her little index finger wipes away the blood even as more replaces it, and slowly, the little metal case slips from me into her fingers.

I take it from her, light-headed and breathless as she moves me to sit on the toilet while she stands up. How can she possibly know what she's doing? Why am I letting her do any of this?

She turns on the faucet and pours me a cup of water, waiting until I take it before she kneels beside me with gauze and a bandage. Somehow, she sees the questions in my eyes, answering them quietly.

"You saved my life," she says. "My parents. I'll do whatever you need me to do."

I drink the water in one gulp, watching as she bandages my hip and then stands up away from me.

"I'll give you a minute." And then she leaves without another word.

Though I don't have time, it's with little resolve that I sit over the toilet until I get my bearings back. There's still a lot that needs to be done, and I can't spare my own physical discomfort of having an 18-year-old girl less than two feet from my crotch.

Suddenly, I'm thinking about Victoria, and my train of thought carries me to the very real possibility of using James' stupidity against him.

I get dressed a quickly as I can given the ache I'm now feeling in my right hip and leg, digging through my bag and finding James' cell phone. Aro won't expect this, so I quickly scroll through his contacts to find the one person I know won't want to talk to James after what happened to Irina.

The instant I hear her voice, I know I've done the right thing.

"You better have one very good fucking reason to be talking to me, you spineless pig."

"Tanya, it's me. I need you to listen to me, please."

She lowers her voice immediately. "Edward? Why are you calling me?"

"Where are you?" I ask quietly.

"I just arrived at the safe house in Minsk. Why are you calling me? Aren't you supposed to be — "

"James is dead. Kate shot him. And she — "

"Good," she scoffs. "At least someone in my family got a shot at that bastard. Is Katie with you? Is she okay?"

My stomach turns again as I sit there, and I have to lean over with my head between my knees. "No. Tanya, I'm so sorry. James shot her. She's gone."

Her silence weighs so heavily that I can't bear to listen to her anymore, not even when she speaks. "That's not possible," she argues, breathing shakily and obviously losing her composure. "It's not possible, Edward. I just talked to her yesterday!"

"I saw it myself," I tell her.

"No," she screams.

"I'm sorry," I whisper. "But I need you to listen to me. Please. You're not safe, and wherever you are, you need to get away from there now."

"Why? What have you done?"

I glance back at the door to see Bella eating, and no matter how upset Tanya might get with me, I can't regret what I've done. "Aro sent me to kill an innocent family, Tanya. They didn't do anything to him. I couldn't do it. And he knew I couldn't do it. He set me up. Everyone I know is in danger, and I — You have to be safe. Kate would never forgive me if I let anything happen to you after what James did to Irina."

She's quiet again, hopefully thinking about what I've said and getting ready to leave wherever she is as soon as she gets off the phone with me.

"How long do I have?"

"The cleaning crew is at the house now. I bagged up the bodies before calling them. They won't break the seals on the bags until they get back to Italy. I'm guessing we both have a day to get somewhere safe. Don't call your father. Not yet. He'll believe the lie Aro tells him about Irina. Tanya, please. It's more than just us at risk now."

"All right," she says after another minute of silence. "There are a few places I can go without using any of his territory to get there. I should be able to get there before he realizes I'm gone."

"Good. Turn your phone off and take the battery out so he can't track you through the GPS, and take out your tracker before you go very far. Get in touch with my father once you're safe."

"Be careful, Edward."

"I will," I swear, turning off the phone and then shutting it off to take it apart the way my father said. I'm still waiting on coordinates from him, but right now, I should probably eat.

It's a little more difficult to get up than it should be, and the pain in my right side is gravitating up into my ribs and armpit. I know I need to take something if I'm going to be driving all day, but if I do that, we won't be able to go anywhere.

The bags are deposited on the floor next to the bed where Bella is now eating her breakfast, and I sit down as far from her as I can to do the same. We don't talk. I don't look at her. She doesn't look at me.

My phone buzzes just as I'm finishing, and Bella rises to take the empty containers and throw them away while I pull my phone out to see a text from my father. There are six locations where he thinks we'll be safe, and in conjunction with that, I'm already thinking of what I could possibly do to underhand Aro.

No doubt when he traces my phone and sees this text, he'll know something's wrong. Calling Tanya on James' phone might throw him off, but not for long.

All six of the coordinates will take a day to get to from where I am right now, but I can't think I'll be safe once I get to the first or second or even third location. I might be able to get to the first and stay for a night before moving on to the second. With this in mind, it's easy to pick the first stop. It's the only one I'm familiar with, and that makes it the more dangerous of the six to locate to. But I need something familiar. It's the only way I'll feel good enough to finish this.

I don't do searches on any of the other coordinates, memorizing them instead and then disassembling my phone. The stiffness in my right side is really starting to bother me, but I can't slow down or stop now.

We'll all die if I do.

"I can drive," Bella says, stepping in front of me and then sitting next to me.

I should say no. It's not safe for her to be behind the wheel of a car right now. But I need to sleep, and I need something for the pain that's vibrating up my torso. It goes against everything I've been taught to trust her, but I don't have a choice.

She doesn't wait for my answer, scooting closer and easing her arm across my back to help me stand up. I'm surprised at her strength, but I don't comment on it, laying my arm over her shoulders for stability. We've only been in the area for two hours, but it's enough.

We need to move. Now.

We make it to the truck together, and while I get it started, she gathers everything I took inside with me. Once she's behind the wheel with her seat belt on, I step into the front office to turn in the keys. The elderly woman is still there, and she still looks at me strange even though she doesn't say anything as I slide a hundred dollar bill across the counter for her trouble.

Bella actually has what resembles a smile on her face when I climb into the passenger side of the truck and pull my seat belt on.

"Where to?" she asks with a soft chuckle.

"Just head toward Spokane," I reply, grimacing as my hip throbs. "We'll figure something else out then."

She puts the truck in gear a second later, pulling out of the parking lot and then onto the road in front of the motel so we can leave Aberdeen.

While she's moving through traffic and tapping her thumbs on the steering wheel, I dig through my bag for the pain killers I brought with me. There's orange juice left from breakfast, and with that, I down two of the little white pills that will both knock me out and ease the pain seeping into my muscles.

The last thing I see before closing my eyes is the sign on the side of the road telling me how many miles it is to every town that's nearby.

I have the strangest dream while I sleep.

It's not like a normal dream where everything is supposed to represent something in my life that's still unresolved.

No, this dream feels real and new and perfect.

She feels amazing in my arms, and her skin is so warm and soft. Her hand presses against the scar over my heart almost like she's claiming me as her own. And I want to belong to her.

I just don't know how.

* * *

**Dare I say we're seeing a shift in him toward something that resembles redemption.**

**Okay, so I do kinda know where we're going, but I'd like to see if anyone else can guess what will happen next.  
**

**Come on, I know you all have some kind of opinion. Tell me it sucks. Tell me it needs work. Anything.  
**

**I gotta go now, and it might be next month before the next chapter, but you can't say I didn't try.  
**

**See ya later!  
**


	10. Waking Up

******I know, I know. It's been a little while. I don't think I'm too late, but I promise I've been working on all of these stories. My move is all done, so updates should be a little more frequent now.  
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**True to form, we have a few new developments coming up in this chapter, nothing out of the ordinary for the world I've conjured up. Those are yet to come.  
**

**Thanks to all my readers, and thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far. Also, thanks to everyone who's put this on your faves and alerts. You guys all rock!  
**

**This is all un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are all mine.  
**

**And of course, I don't own Twilight, but I get a kick out of messing around in her playground.  
**

* * *

**Waking Up**

When I wake up from the deep stupor I forced myself into, the first thing I see as I open my eyes is the front of a tiny gas station. I'm confused and disoriented, and then I realize that I'm sitting in the truck alone.

The first thing I do is reach into my bag for my gun as it sets nestled in the side pocket. Instantly, my right hip erupts in pain, and I have to freeze in a leaned over position, still holding my gun and then reaching for my side.

Through the cracked-open windows, I hear a bell ring and look up to see Bella coming out of the gas station with bottles of water and small boxes of food. It's mid-afternoon, and I feel like I've been inside a box all day.

Her eyes meet mine as she pauses on the curb, and it's impossible for me to look away as she moves to the driver's side door. A skin-crawling creak belches out from the door frame, and she climbs in to put the food between us a second before she sees my hand in the bag. The smile that had begun to form on her face fades instantly, and I push my gun back into the pocket.

"You didn't wake me up," I say, meaning for her to know she's messed up.

"I tried," she counters.

"You stopped."

"We needed gas," she explains. "And I drove through lunch. You need to eat just as much as I do. I found a couple of twenties in your bag. Do you want your change?"

I actually scoff at her nonchalance — like we're not running from her house where James and Kate had the equivalent of a shoot-out at the OK Corral. "No, that's fine."

Without saying anything else, she pulls her seat belt on and grasps onto the steering wheel before looking in my direction. I realize then that the engine is still running, and I know we'll need to find a car with keys so we can get rid of this truck.

"Find a car dealership," I tell her. "Somewhere unofficial so there isn't a lot of customers."

"Can you afford that?" she asks, pulling out of the parking lot and getting on the main street in town.

At that, I have to smirk. "There's more where those twenties came from."

She doesn't argue after this, and together we find a used-car dealership along the main street. I spot a ten-year-old dirty, green Jeep Wrangler with a dented fender in the corner and know that it's the best we're going to get before leaving town. One problem I know we'll have is the fact that the truck we're driving doesn't have a key to it. If the dealer realizes this before we have a chance to talk to him, he'll call the police.

"Drive around to a parking lot close by," I suggest. "We'll hide this truck and walk. If our luck holds, we'll be able to come back and clean it up before anyone notices it."

Bella does more than that, pulling into a large, full parking lot in front of a department store that's just around the block from the car dealership. We can't lock the doors, so I have to stow the bags to keep anyone from finding them. It isn't a big deal to leave the truck at the end of the parking lot and walk away without anyone noticing, and we cross the street back to the block the car dealership is setting on.

Less than ten minutes after we walk onto the lot, a tall, dark-haired man comes out of the main building and make his way to where we're standing.

"We're about to close," he says with a little smile. "How can I help you?"

Bella slips her hand into mine before I can speak, and I look at her immediately, seeing something in her eyes I've never seen before now. With that, I turn back to the salesman.

"I'm sorry, Mr.?"

He extends his hand to mine. "Alistair McDougal. Everybody calls me Big Al. And you are?"

"Anthony Masen. This is my girlfriend, Marie. We need to buy a car, and I saw this Jeep sitting at the back of the lot."

He laughs just once. "Well, surely, you don't want this beat-up old thing," he says in a dismissive tone. "We have a newer model further out in the lot."

I glance at Bella, and she lifts her hand to my arm. "Well," I say, looking at him, "we really want this one. It's exactly like the one we had our first date in, and we just came into town from backpacking down Mt. Baker. I'll pay you cash now."

He looks at me warily, bringing his hands to his waist. "Can I see some identification, young man?" he asks.

Without hesitating, I reach into my back pocket and take out the Illinois driver's license I keep for situations like this when I have to do recon for a mark. He looks at the picture on the card and then me and Bella before handing it back to me with a new measure of suspicion in his dark eyes.

"For this old Jeep right here," he bargains, "I'll need six thousand dollars. We just got it in today on a trade. The mechanic checked it in the garage out back. It gets decent gas mileage, and the engine just got a good tune-up."

Despite having more than enough to buy ten of these, I don't let him know that. I do my best at feigning ignorance. "I only have four thousand," I say as I shake my head and then look at Bella. "My parents are still in Montreal. If we can't get a car, it's going to be after the wedding before we get there."

While I might have normally been worried in a situation like this of her not understanding what I'm trying to do, the way she bites her lip and knits her eyebrows together tells me she knows to play along.

"And it's all your savings," she adds, looking at Al and grinning a little. "You could cut us break, right? It's his sister's wedding, and I haven't even met her yet."

Her big, innocent eyes play him like a fiddle, and much to my relief, he gives in with little resistence to her.

"Of course. Let's get inside to sign the papers. You'll be out of here in no time."

In all, after signing documents using my grandfather's first name and my mother's maiden name, it takes probably forty-five minutes to finalize everything. This will be the vehicle we drive to our next destination, and then I'll have to decide if it's worth keeping.

Neither Bella nor I say anything out of sorts to Al, and I'm amazed at her improvisation skills. There was nothing in the files about her school activities, but she seems to be an impressive actress — especially in a clutch situation. That will be good information to know later on if we have to make a quick getaway.

When Al hands me the keys to the Jeep and walks us out, he shakes my hand and winks at Bella before sending us on our way. I have to drive in the opposite direction so he won't be able to see what we're about to do, but as soon as we're alone, I can't contain my astonishment anymore.

"I honestly don't want to know where you learned to do that," I laugh, "but you did it very well. How did you know to do that?"

She shrugs. "My best friend Angela and I once went joyriding in a Ferrari in Downtown Los Angeles. We were on Spring Break and hadn't done anything exciting, so we lied and told the sales guy that she had end-stage leukemia — none of the chemo had worked, which was why she had a full head of hair, and she had a month to live. The guy bought it hook, line and sinker. So we took it for a test drive and didn't get it back until just before they closed. We took pictures with it and everything."

Then she clams up immediately, pulling her feet in the seat and looking away. I have to pay attention to the traffic, but I glance at her long enough to see tears filling her eyes again. It's close to five as I pull in the parking lot where we left the truck, and I'm relieved to see that it looks like no one noticed it.

After parking next to the truck, I reach out for her, but she pulls away.

"I'm never going to see her again, am I?" she asks softly.

"Honestly, I don't know. But we have to get as far away from here as we can, and I have to talk to my dad again."

She sniffles for a minute, wiping her eyes with one swipe of her fingers. "I thought you said they could track you."

"They can," I nod. "But there are other ways to talk to him. Ways that can't be traced as quickly."

I expect her to ask what, but she doesn't, sitting up to open her door and looking at me with an expectant expression in her eyes.

With little else, we quickly get our bags from the truck and pack up the Jeep so we can get out of town before anyone notices the truck. I wipe down every surface I can so there are no fingerprints, and I know with the truck's registration, they'll be able to give it back to its owner. Beyond that, I can't worry about anything else.

It's only a few minutes to Spokane valley, and after finding another parking lot to a store that looks like it's still open, I pull into a spot toward the back away from the store so we can stop to eat. The chicken she's bought us looks to be on the heavily fried side, along with potato wedges that don't appear to be like any food I've ever eaten. But I haven't eaten all day, and if I've going to drive through the night, I'll need something.

"I got you a breast," Bella says from the passenger seat, already munching on her own food.

For some reason, I laugh. "Really?"

She nods and smiles, the first real smile I've seen since I first laid eyes on her over twelve hours earlier. "Yeah, you looked like a breast man."

Her choice of words resonates in me, and I laugh louder even though I don't speak.

Despite its appearance, the food is actually not that bad. It's not what I'm used to, and I'll probably never eat it again, but it's good.

After eating, I search the map on my phone for a place to hook up my laptop, finding a library on the main road through town. The last time I had to communicate with my father this way, I was only twenty and in the middle of the Brazilian jungle where the Wi-Fi was amazingly better than it probably should've been. Tonight, I hope he's at home when he reads this, because if he opens it up on his computer at the extension office, I won't get a hundred miles before Aro finds me.

A librarian assistant directs us to a cubicle in the back where I turn everything on and then pull up my e-mail. Just to be sure my father knows not to open this unless he's at home, I type in the subject line _For Personal Computer (NSFW)_. To most people opening an e-mail, they might think this is like porn or something, but when my father sees it, he'll know what to do. Once that's taken care of, I type my message.

_Received coordinates. Safe. Will make contact if in need of assistance. Bird is in the nest. Tell mother I miss her._

"That's it?" Bella asks softly from my side.

"The less I say, the easier it will be to get through the filter he has on his computer at work. Plus, if I choose the right words, I don't have to say much at all. Now that he knows about you, he'll want your safety just as much as mine, and by mentioning my mother, he also knows where I'm going."

"And where is that?" she asks leaning closer.

"The house where my mother grew up."

She looks at the screen as I send the e-mail, and within minutes, I receive a reply with the subject line _Possible sighting, details to come later_.

I don't even open the e-mail, closing everything down instantly. "Time to go," I exhale, closing the laptop and rising quickly.

Bella doesn't argue, and I grab her hand, pulling her from the cubicle and then out of the library without saying goodbye to the assistant as she glances in my direction. We run to the Jeep, climbing in and turning the engine on before pulling out of the parking lot and then onto the street out of town.

"Put on your seat belt," I order her, attempting to remain calm as I weave through traffic while steadily speeding up.

Nothing's said as we leave the area, and it isn't until we're away from the lights and residential buildings that I even think about relaxing.

Based on the subject of my father's e-mail, it's possible someone has spotted us at any point in the last thirteen hours. I can't take any chances stopping again until we need gas. At that thought, I check the gauge and see that the tank is almost full.

It's my first turn of luck in this day of intense fuck-ups and near-misses. The instincts I feel forming inside me are so foreign that I have no basis for comparison to know I'm doing to right thing or not.

Then I think about the car dealer. Alistair McDougal. The name isn't familiar at all, and I know everyone who works for Aro in the area. As one of his best field officers, I've made it my business to know who I might be dealing with in the future. Is it possible he called the police anyway even though I signed all of his fucking paperwork and practically gave him a drop of my blood before giving him four thousand dollars in cash?

Of course.

I'm so goddamn stupid!

"Get comfortable," I tell Bella, grasping onto the steering wheel as tight as I can to keep from slamming my fists into it. "And get some sleep. We're not stopping until we're as far away from here as I can possibly get us."

I think she's going to ask what's happened, but when I look at her, I can see that she already knows. And for once, I'm thankful to not have to explain what's going on.

From here, right now, it's almost twenty-two hours to the town my mother grew up in, and if my — our luck holds, we might be able to stay there more than one night before being forced to another location my father gave to me.

I drive for ten hours straight, and Bella falls asleep in the seat next to me with her head tilted in toward my shoulder. If we were still in the truck, she would be curled up next to me, and I wouldn't be able to concentrate on the situation in front of me. More than anything else, I need to think about what I'm going to do. I can't run forever, and I can't stay hidden forever.

There's nothing I can think of to do that will help me right now, and by the time I get to our destination which is ten hours away from Spokane Valley, I know I need something to eat and someone else to take over driving.

Miles City, Montana looks small enough to blend in for a couple of hours so we can both eat, change clothes and recharge the battery in my laptop, and the first thing I do is find a restaurant that serves breakfast at five in the morning. The sky is turning a soft blue color, and with dawn approaching, I pull into a parking spot and turn to Bella to wake her.

Her eyes open slowly, first focusing on the space in front of her and then finding mine as I sit watching her closely. She inhales deeply, stretching and arching her back before looking around to see her surroundings.

"Where are we?" she asks softly.

"The corner of 6th and Main, Miles City, Montana."

Still, she glances from one side to the other, biting her lip and then looking at me again. "Breakfast?"

I nod, acknowledging without saying anything at first, and then after she doesn't move for another minute, I speak quietly. "I also need to find somewhere to plug in my laptop. I thought we could find a hotel and stretch our legs for a couple of hours while it charges."

A gentle yawn escapes her mouth, and then she squeaks before squeezing her eyes shut and reaching for her door handle. "Right," she says.

This ends our light conversation as I reach into my bag for money and then follow her as she steps out of the Jeep and moves to the sidewalk. A sharp jolt of pain shoots up from my hip, and I'm reminded that I just sat in the same position for ten hours without looking at my bandage or even checking to see if it's still bleeding. I limp to the curb, and Bella hurries to my side to help me.

Our eyes meet the same way they did a few minutes ago, but this time, it's different. She's looking at me differently, and I can feel my gut twisting the way it does when I'm in the middle of doing something I've never done before. I felt like this the moment I got into Forks — ready to kill her and her parents. From then until now, this feeling has grown until it's reached my heart and lungs.

Then without so much as a warning or even a word to what we should do after all of this, she steps up onto her toes and kisses my cheek. The spot on my skin where her lips touched me erupts in fire and blood, and I'm blushing before I can stop it.

"Thank you, Edward," she says before guiding me toward the café I found for us to eat.

It isn't until we step into the café and see its small setting with only a few patrons inside that I actually feel the twist in my gut start to relax.

"Good morning," the hostess greets us with a smile. "Two?"

Bella nods, and the woman grabs two menus before walking us back to a booth in the back. My hip is still aggravating me, and I know I'll need to take more pain meds once we get moving again. It takes a little effort on my part to slide into my side of the booth, and we both order coffee before looking over our menus.

It's this quaint little moment that startles me to the point that I wish I hadn't left my gun in the Jeep. But it's not because we're in danger, and I realize what the twinge in my gut has been trying to make me see.

For the first time in nearly eight years, I feel more aware and cautious than I have since I started working for Aro. For the first time in nearly eight years, I feel awake.

And I have only the 18-year-old girl sitting across from me to thank for it.

* * *

**That seems less painful, right? And I really want to know what you guys think of the plot thus far. I've taken several liberties with certain aspects of the story for the sake of time, but since Edward and Bella were literally passing through a lot of these places, I didn't want to put too much emphasis on it.**

**Anything else?  
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**Oh, I made a simple, little banner for this story and several others on their way. The link is in my profile if you want to take a gander.  
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**Goodnight!  
**


	11. Taking a Chance

******A new week, a new chapter! I hope everyone (who's already up, like me) is having an awesome Monday. What am I saying? It's Monday! That's not possible. Anyway, here we go.**

**You'll notice things getting a little heated between Edward and Bella in this chapter - and many of the ones to come. Just so we're clear, it's been a day. Is that normal? Maybe not, but with these two, how can you predict anything?  
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**The danger element is changing in this one too, so along with a new development on the horizon, it's going to be getting a little complicated.  
**

**I don't own Twilight. I'm just making new waves in the sand patterns of SM's zen garden.  
**

**This is also un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes you see are mine.  
**

* * *

**Taking a Chance**

After breakfast, my hip is throbbing even worse than it was in the car, and I'm doing my best not to lose the food I just ate. Bella is watching me from her side of the table. The look in her eyes tells me she can see how uncomfortable I am. The waitress refills our glasses a couple of times, but other than that, we're left alone. After the second time, Bella moves around to my side.

"Is it safe for you to still drive?" she asks, glancing at my hip and then gently laying her hand over my waist.

Pain and discomfort spreads through my right side, and I have to hold my breath as she removes her hand.

"Sorry," she whispers.

A moment of silence passes, and then I speak softly. "We can't stay put for too long. The longer we stay anywhere, the more likely they'll catch up to us. And I so much as promised your father I would keep you safe. If we stop, I can't do that any better than if we'd stayed in your house for the cleaning crew."

Though it stuns her that I'm being more brutally honest than I was before, she doesn't seem deterred. "That doesn't mean you can't rest. I should've stitched you back up or something. Eight hours," she says. "Long enough for you to sleep."

Her boldness makes me smile, but I shake my head. "We can't stay here that long. Four hours would be pushing it, and that's if I was able to contact my father."

"Six," she bargains.

I watch her thoughtfully. "Five. And that's it. Finish your breakfast."

A victorious smile spreads over her face, and she pulls her plate to where she's sitting. I'm surprised that she's not moving back to the other side of the booth, but after scooting over to give her room, I decide it doesn't matter where she sits anymore.

A hotel on the other side of the street looks like it will work for the few hours we need, and without moving the Jeep, Bella and I grab our bags to cross the street to check in. The woman at the front desk doesn't seem thrilled about the fact that we're only needing a room for a few hours. I admit that it's a little odd, but I give her an extra hundred dollars to keep her happy while we move through the front lobby to the stairs.

The room only has one bed and a small bathroom, but it's enough. Bella insists on checking my hip before we do anything else, and I'm not hesitant about allowing her to look at my bandage. This time, I keep my pants on.

We can't risk putting a needle and thread in her hands, so after she puts on another bandage and cleans up the bathroom, I sit down on the bed to plug my laptop back up. The wi-fi is weak, but it's good enough for my email to work, and after a night's worth of driving, eating and bandage-changing, I'm able to open the email my father sent me the night before.

_Possible sighting, details to come later_, the subject line reads like a burning bush.

My heart is literally hammering in my chest as I open the email, hoping I haven't completely ruined my chances of getting Bella to a safe place by being so immensely stupid.

_Message received. Will deliver to Mother. Bird sighting unconfirmed near secondary location. Bears and honey arrived with new details from Southern office. Black birds safely delivered. Had to call main office. Will not force your hand. Keep contact once arrival is confirmed._

Someone saw Bella in Hoquiam. It's the only thing that makes sense. Aro has men all up and down the west coast. If we'd gone further south into California, it would've been even more impossible to stay hidden, but with the towns around us now being so small, blending in will prove to be difficult.

"Is everything okay?" Bella asks from the table by the window.

"For now," I reply. "Emmett and Jasper are in Chicago with my father, and your parents are safe. My father had to call Aro, but he didn't tell him anything."

While talking to her, I'm already composing a new email for my father. I want to talk to him, but by the time I put my phone back together, the GPS would triangulate before I could dial my father's number.

_Arrival at safe location imminent. Tracking hindered temporarily. Primary and secondary targets secured. Acquired new method of travel. Will make new contact unless otherwise detained._

Using the same subject as before, I send a new email to my father and set the laptop aside as Bella watches me from her chair.

"You need to sleep," she says.

I'm relaxed enough to not need pain meds for my hip, and I stare at her with a measure of uncertainty. "You thinking about going somewhere?" I ask, suspiciously.

She scoffs and looks away out the window. "You're paranoid."

"I'm cautious. And you're careless."

"I'm eighteen! I'm allowed to be careless. And you're dangerous."

"I know how to use a semi-automatic rifle and highly combustible explosives! Of course I'm dangerous. You're the one who hacked at my hip bone."

She turns to me and yells even with a smile on her face. "You told me to!"

I can't stop the laugh that escapes my lips, and before I realize it, she charges the bed and is on top of me in less than a split second. I catch her uneasily, the laugh in my chest dying as she grips my shoulders and straddles my hips.

The jostling of the bed makes my hip hurt, and I clench my jaws without looking at her.

"You _are_ paranoid," she says again.

With a deep breath, I lift my eyes to hers. "And for good reason," I counter. "If Aro's men find us, they will kill you — just on principle alone. And they'll kill me and everyone who's helped me for keeping you alive."

I can't push her away. I don't know why. It's dangerous what she's doing, and she doesn't seem to care how serious this all is. She touches my face and finds a scar on my jaw that I got my first day of training when I was her age. A different set of chills from what I've ever felt spreads through my neck and then my chest, and there's nothing I can do to stop her as she leans in and gently presses her lips to mine.

She so warm and soft, and I don't know what I'm doing letting her touch me like this. It's not safe, and she has no idea who I am to be doing this right now. But I can't push her away. So when I don't, she wraps her arm around my shoulders and threads her fingers through my hair, causing another set of chills to assail my skin. Instinctively, I sit up to pull her closer to me, and in the process, a sharp throb of pain shoots up my side, forcing a groan to escape my lips as they become dislodged from hers.

"You're still hurting," she whispers. Then she shakes her head. "I shouldn't — " The tip of her tongue slips over her bottom lip, and I fight the pain in my right side to pull her closer, meeting her tongue with mine and hearing the tiniest whimper erupt from her tiny throat.

I'm breathless when she nudges me away, uncertain what's wrong with me and unwilling to let it spread any further than it already has even though I already know it's gone too far. The loss of her warmth terrifies me as she scoots off the bed and retrieves my bag, and I back away from her when she sits back in front of me with the pills from my bag for my hip.

She smiles as she lays them in my palm. "I promise not to leave you here."

I hesitate, and she laughs.

"Edward, I promise."

It's only the third time she's said my name, and it's completely different from the other two times. Gently, I take the pills and swallow them with a gulp of water just as a new email hits my inbox.

_Local sweeping, traces found._

The subject line of his response is a little confusing, and as I open up his email, Bella scoots up to my left side to read with me.

_Main office unaware of change. Bags arrived in morgue. Under lockdown until report is confirmed. Interstate under surveillance. Back roads overgrown. No more contact until safe arrival._

I know not to respond to this message, shutting off my laptop and pulling the battery out as Bella speaks softly.

"Who are Emmett and Jasper?" she asks.

"Men who work for my father," I say simply.

"I thought you all worked for the same guy," she continues.

I sigh softly, feeling the pills taking a hold on my consciousness. "It's complicated. My father's a careful man. He doesn't trust Aro, at least not for the important tasks that deal with training and disposal. A few years after he sent me to Aro to be trained, my mother convinced him to hire a new pair of guards for them. And like I said, my father is a careful man. Emmett and Jasper are supposed to be in extension offices, and every few months, they spend a week in other offices to keep their real jobs a secret."

"That doesn't sound complicated. It sounds like their job is simple."

I laugh and lay my head back against the wall behind me. "Sounds like. But not really." The room starts to spin, and I look at her to see more than one of her beside me. "How did you learn to kiss like that?" I ask quietly.

She grins and rubs my cheek. "Just because I'm eighteen doesn't mean I've never had a boyfriend."

There's no hesitation in my movements as I wrap my arm around her and pull her closer. "Football quarterback or science geek?"

"A little bit of both actually. You should sleep. I promise to wake you up if anything happens."

The fight I would've normally put up is gone, and I close my eyes slowly, giving in to the spinning without another minute passing.

A new dream fills my head as I sleep, and the indication of it is plain even to me as my hands find the gentle slopes of Bella's hips and her little pink lips and warm tongue entice my brain even more than her eyes and hair have before. While I've had a few wet or erotic dreams in my life that had a similar effect on me, nothing has ever felt like this.

What does this mean? How am I supposed to cope with this? Why is it happening to me now?

By the time I open my eyes to see midday sun shining through the window, I have no answers to any of these questions. Will I ever have any?

A clock on the wall tells me it's almost noon, and the bathroom door opens a minute later to reveal Bella there in a towel with her hair wet from taking a shower. In this particular article of "clothing," she looks tiny and fragile, but her near nakedness doesn't deter her from moving to my side and sitting in front of me with her legs crossed.

"You need to take a shower," she says nonchalantly, like she's not sitting there in a towel. "And I was thinking we should cut my hair. And maybe color it too. They'll know what I look like, won't they?"

Sleepily, I nod, and she pulls her hair over her shoulder so that it leaves her other shoulder glistening in the brilliant gold light.

"I don't mind," she says. "If it helps, we should do it."

I can't take my eyes off her bare skin, and she smiles, leaning over with her hand pressed to the bed beside my hip.

"His name was Mike. He was a senior like me before my dad pulled me out of school. We dated for about a year."

She leans closer so that her toweled chest is aligned with mine and her face is closer to mine than it was a minute earlier. "He was tall and blond and muscled. He was a tight-end on the football team, but he was also a straight-A student. We were going to enroll to Washington State together. I'd never had a boyfriend before him, and he taught me how to kiss."

The edges of my mind clear away the haze of the pain pills I took earlier, and when I scoot away to sit up, she follows me. The towel covering her stops covering her as the slit up her leg exposes her hip and a little more.

"Bella," I whisper, meaning to tell her she needs to get dressed, but before I can, she closes the distance between us and kisses me again. My hand finds her soft, wet skin, and her tongue slips inside my mouth a second before I push her away. "Stop," I plead.

She doesn't listen, moving closer and then lifting her leg to straddle me again. My body wants her. I can feel my cock getting harder the longer she's close to me. And my brain is quickly following her.

But I can't do this.

"Bella, stop," I hiss against her lips.

The instant I feel her fingers twisting my pants apart, a swell in my anger forces its way to the surface, and I grab her arms to push her away until she's laying back over the bed under me.

"Stop," I yell. "I can't do this."

Surprise and fear fill her eyes along with a few tears, and I get up away from her without another word, stepping into the bathroom and slamming the door shut.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

She's eighteen! I'm better than this. It's just what James would do. I don't care if she had a boyfriend who taught her how to kiss.

I can't do this!

I don't leave the bathroom until after I've showered myself and put on a new bandage. I realize that my bag is in the bedroom, and even though I don't want to step into that room in a goddamn towel, I don't have a choice.

She's sitting at the table in the sunlight wearing a pair of shorts and a long-sleeved shirt like the one she was wearing the morning before. Without saying anything to her, I grab my bag and step back into the bathroom to get dressed.

Why is she behaving this way after just a day? She doesn't know me, and I can't know her. Why am I scared of her? She's a fucking teenager, for God's sake. How am I supposed to handle something like this?

After asking myself even more questions than what I have answers to, I leave the bathroom with my bag to find her still at the table. She doesn't look at me as I sit in the chair next to hers, but I don't let that stop me.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you," I say to start. "You surprised me."

Tears fall from her eyes, and I huff, rubbing my forehead and then covering my eyes.

"Bella, please."

"It's okay," she replies. "I — I don't know why I did that. You have no idea what it's been like with just me and my parents. My dad wouldn't let me go out of the house unless I was with him or mom. My friends and I had all just started our senior year, and I didn't even make it to homecoming before he pulled me out of school. Mike was really the first guy to be nice to me, and we started dating under the impression that it wouldn't last very long. And now I'm never gonna see him or my friends again." She wipes her cheeks and then looks at me. "You could've killed me, but you didn't. Why?"

I shake my head because I still don't know. I remember what my father said about how I followed my conscience the way he taught me. Deep down, I knew it was wrong to kill Bella and her parents. But why her? Why not Irina or any other woman I've ever been faced with killing in the last eight years?

"I don't know," I say softly. "I just know it was wrong. But a lot of them were wrong, and I haven't figured that out yet. I'm sorry I yelled at you. I wasn't expecting you to do that."

"I wasn't planning on doing it," she insists. "But I saw you sitting there, and it happened. Hasn't that ever happened to you?"

"No," I say honestly. "No one's ever done anything like that to me."

And it's true. Kate has never come onto me like that. In fact, there's no match in my head for what Bella just did. And I have to make her understand something else.

"Bella, it's dangerous to do that right now. And you didn't do anything wrong, but you can't do it again. I'm not the kind of guy you want to get involved with, because I really have killed people. And I'm never gonna change."

She scoffs and shakes her head, looking away again.

"What?" I ask, suddenly annoyed.

"You could've killed me," she says again. "And I saw the look in your eyes. You were scared and confused. It was different with that asshole who grabbed me and tried to leave the house with me. He wasn't like you. And it doesn't matter to me what you've done before. What matters is that you stopped before you could hurt me or my parents. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Exhaling softly, I press my lips together. "Of course it means something to me. Bella, it means everything right now. It means I've had to change the way I react and speak and listen. It means I have to be even more careful than I've ever been in my life, and this isn't something I need to do right now."

"So because of what you've done before, you're saying you don't deserve to start over. You're already changing, Edward. And you know what would've happened if anyone else had gone to kill me and my parents."

It doesn't seem like anything I say will make her understand how dangerous her line of thinking is. And when she scoots her chair closer to me, the look in her eyes tells me she's going to continue trying to convince me she's right.

"Have you ever loved anyone, Edward?"

She keeps saying my name, and it's having the strangest effect on my brain. But I have to shake my head. "No. Not really. No one except my own family."

"Not even the woman who killed that man with you?"

An image of Kate lying on the ground with a bullet wound in her gut and tears on her face flashes before my eyes, and I react instantly, clenching my teeth and looking away. "Don't talk about her," I order.

Bella rises slowly and steps closer to me, straddling my lap and wrapping her arms around my shoulders. I won't look at her, and she kisses my cheek gently. "Edward," she whispers. "It's okay. Most people who are in love don't know it until they lose it. That's what my mother told me when I thought I was in love with Mike. But I wasn't. He was nice and cute and smart, but when I really needed him, he wasn't there for me. That's why we broke up." She turns my face to hers, and I reluctantly lift my eyes to hers. "You're different, Edward."

I can't deny what she says, not even when she kisses me lightly.

"A couple months after we started dating, he started trying to get his hands down my pants. We made out a lot, and he liked to, um, grope my boobs. It was weird at first, but after a little while I liked it. But I wanted to slow down, but he didn't. I thought being without a boyfriend was the end of the world, but my mother told me when I found the guy who was for me, I'd know when I saw him. I'd know the way she knew with my dad. I'd see something in his eyes that said he would never hurt me or do anything to put his needs before mine. It was corny when I heard it six months ago."

She smiles and kisses me again, pressing her lips to mine a little firmer and wrapping her hand around the back of my head.

"It's not corny anymore, Edward," she whispers.

At that instant, even with my hands holding her waist, I try to stop her. "Bella, stop."

She doesn't for a few more kisses, and I lean away, turning my face away again.

"Stop."

Her hands thread through my hair, and chills slip up my spine to her fingertips. She tries to make me look at her again, and when I do, I don't say what she wants to hear.

"Bella, you're young," I say, and she sighs heavily, looking away. "You're beautiful. You have your whole life ahead of you. I can't do this. It's not right. You've only known me a day, and you don't know anything about me."

She doesn't say anything to me for a minute, laying her hands over my shoulders and squeezing my muscles. "My mom only knew my dad for a day when she promised to come back to him after they met at a beach party. But it was enough for them."

"I'm not normal like your father," I inform her, my voice elevated slightly.

"You're good like my father," she tells me a little louder. "I can see it in your eyes and on your face. I just want to know the man who saved us. You owe me that much."

I shake my head, unconsciously grinning. "And that means you have to do this?" I demand incredulously.

"Are you gonna talk to me any other way?"

The longer I sit there entangled in her arms, the more I know I've sat here for too long. And we have to get moving again before anyone spots us.

"Bella," I say softly. "We have to go."

For a minute, she doesn't move, and I hold my hands up in concession. "I'll talk," I promise. "But we have to go. Please."

"First," she says, lifting a finger to my lips, "kiss me."

Her request surprises me, but because I know it will make her do what I need her to do, I lean in around her finger to kiss her cheek.

She catches me before I can touch her cheek, pressing her lips to mine again.

I can't do this. It's wrong.

But I can't stop.

* * *

**So, Bella being the instigator. Nothing strange about that, right?**

**Also, try not to jump to too many conclusions here. Not yet.  
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**HEA? Can't say for sure. Let's wait for Aro to meet his demise, and then we'll talk.  
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**Everybody have a great morning, and we'll see you next week!  
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**Later!  
**


	12. Innapropriate Contact

******Okay, so last chapter was kind of a cliff-hanger type thing. But I think it works for this story. And we're getting introduced to a new character in this chapter, so I hope you like her, um, introduction.  
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**Thanks for the reviews and favorites and alerts. All you guys are awesome.  
**

**I don't own Twilight. I'm just practicing my Obi-Wan to her Yoda. Or something.  
**

**Also, this is all un-beta'd, so any mistakes you see are all mine.  
**

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**Inappropriate Contact**

Not even when I was a teenager living on the outskirts of Chicago did I ever have the experience of a girl sitting on my lap and kissing me. My father was far too protective, and I don't even think I had friends from school over in the entire time I lived there. I know it was done to keep me safe, especially because my father was already one of Aro's top advisors. It made him a target, and that made me one.

Even after Kate and I began whatever it was we did, she never did this — sat on my lap and kissed me. She was already a woman and wanted me to behave like a man. I learned quickly, impressing her even though I was younger and not as experienced.

But this whole thing with Bella has gone too far, and I know I need to stop her, particularly when she slips her tongue along mine and pulls my hands around her to cradle her hips against mine. She feels unlike anything ever has, and I think she knows it. How can an eighteen-year-old girl who's had one boyfriend know how to make me feel this way?

We've been stopped for too long, and whether she wants to know me or not, now isn't the time for this.

For the life of me, I can't figure out how to make her stop, not even when I know she can feel what she's doing to my cock hardening in my jeans — until I hear a knock on the door.

"Room service."

A female voice pierces the cocoon I've allowed Bella to wrap us in, and without waiting, I nudge her away and immediately go to my bag for my gun. Then I look at Bella to see an intensely terrified expression on her face.

"Get in the bathroom," I tell her with a nod.

She doesn't argue, stepping away from me and disappearing behind the other door in the room.

Another knock echoes around the room, and the same voice follows. "Clean towels, sir. Room service."

There's a weird intonation in the voice that isn't normal for this area, and I have my gun ready in an instant. Whoever this is hasn't been deterred by my silence the way any other hotel maid would be, and plus, I didn't ask for room service.

Two things make me nervous — unexpected behavior and unexpected guests.

The voice outside has become silent in my approach to the door, but just as I arrive, the door handle moves a little, and I swear I hear a soft curse follow when this woman realizes the door's locked.

Then I hear the voice again a little louder. "Edward, open up, will you? I know you're in there."

Now I hear it. It's not as solid as it should be, but there's definitely a Northern Irish dialect in her voice. I lay my finger over the trigger of my gun and open the door to find her there with her arms over her chest.

Siobhan Christy, otherwise known as the best field physician employed by Aro though she works for my father's division. I haven't seen her in almost a year, but since she's only a couple of years younger than me, she hasn't changed much. Her wavy dark brown hair is almost to her waist, and her pale blue eyes assess me instantly.

She smirks when she sees the gun, undiscouraged as she steps into the room passed me. "Well, that's a nice way to greet a lady," she chides. "And an ally, no less."

"What are doing here, Siobhan?" I demand.

She makes a circle around the room, grimacing and scowling as she speaks. "Did you know Kate had a triangulating chip put in her phone before she left Italy to find you?" she asks, like I should've known that.

Instead of playing along, I step up to her and grab her head, pressing the end of my gun under her chin. "What the fuck are you doing here?" I demand, my voice an octave lower.

"Get that goddamn thing away from me," she hisses through clenched teeth. "Or have you forgotten I've got one of my own?"

I grip the hair at the back of her head, yanking her head back and pressing the end of my gun harder into her chin. Her grimace from earlier returns, and she lifts her eyes to mine.

"Tanya called me," she groans. "She told me you needed help because of a mark, and she told me how to find you. Now let go of me before I kick you in the nads."

Despite being unafraid of her meager threat, I release her roughly, still holding my gun as she regains her bearings and rubs her chin.

"Shit, you're jumpier than she said you'd be. Don't tell me it's this mark."

I huff and shake my head. "Does my father know you're here?" I ask, attempting to calm down.

"No one knows I'm here. I came down from Canada after Tanya called."

"You're not supposed to be here," I tell her, keeping my gun ready.

She grins and looks around. "Likewise. So since neither of us is supposed to be here, we might as well make the most of it. And while we're on the subject, you've been here too long. If you don't leave now, someone will find you. And if everything went according to schedule, they'll be unsealing the body bags by now. When Aro realizes you've defected, he'll put a hit on you."

This isn't something I was entirely unprepared for, which is why I took out my tracker to make it more difficult to find me. But she's right, unfortunately.

"Do you have a car?" I ask after a minute of us standing there doing nothing.

She scoffs. "I'm a field medic, not a neanderthal. Of course, I have a car." Then she glances back at the bathroom door the moment it creaks open. "Oh, this is serious if you've got her hiding when someone knocks on the door. Well, you better get her ready to go. Wherever we're going, it's not going to be soon enough if you ask me."

Before she has a chance to move to the bathroom, I stop her. "I'll get her ready. You still have your tracker. If Aro finds out you're helping me, we won't last a day if we don't get it out now."

Instead of looking at me like I've just insulted her, she grins. "Ooh, sounds like fun."

I don't respond to that, stepping into the bathroom where Bella is pulled up into a corner away from the door. Her scared expression hasn't faded, and I kneel in front of her to make her look at me.

"It's okay," I whisper. "We're safe."

"Who is that?" she asks, grasping onto my hands tighter than anyone ever has.

"She's loyal to my father. Her name is Siobhan. She'll help us." Slowly, I pull Bella to her feet, feeling her body trembling and holding her still so she'll calm down. "It's okay. You're okay. She won't hurt us. But you need to get everything packed, and I have to find her tracker to get it out. As soon as that's done, we have to leave."

Bella doesn't argue as I walk her out of the bathroom back to where Siobhan has settled onto the bed with an amused look on her face. I don't say anything to her, allowing Bella to kneel in front of the bags while I turn to face my unexpected ally.

"Oh, is it my turn?" she teases, rising and removing the jacket she's wearing and then her shoes. "I have to warn you though. I'm a trained medical professional, so I'll be critiquing your bedside manner along with your technique to make sure you're not hacking away at me."

She doesn't wait for me, stepping into the bathroom and pushing the door until it's cracked open. I have to shake my head at her antics. Siobhan was the trainee who stood in on my surgery when I was attacked and got the crescent shaped scar on my chest. Three and a half years have passed, and still, she likes to tease me because I cried like a fucking baby when they told me I might lose part of my lung because of how bad it had been hacked up by the mark who tried to kill me.

There's nothing between us but a bunch of friendly banter and a four-month stay in the infirmary where she happily volunteered to be at my bedside no matter what I needed. She was also Kate's best friend and liked that I was only a little older than her while still keeping a clean track record in the line of work that allowed my partner to become a whore to the masses. Siobhan knows all my buttons because of Kate, and she sometimes allows it to cloud her judgement — like she's doing now.

It's dangerous for her to be here. Surely, she has to know that by now.

The water is running over the faucet when I step into the bathroom to discover Siobhan standing over the toilet in her bra and panties with her foot propped up over the toilet lid. I have to glare at her, but she keeps smiling.

"I'm ready," she croons.

Based on her behavior, I can only imagine where her tracker was placed. "Let me guess," I say, leaving the door cracked open and stepping in front of her with my hands on my waist. "You already know where your tracker is placed."

She grabs my face and purses her lips. "Of course I do. Any respectable woman would know when she's a decent physician like me."

Humoring her for no reason, I lean in a little closer. "And exactly where is it?"

Without saying anything, she takes my hand and cups it along the extreme inside of her thigh near her crotch where I've already noticed that she's wearing a thong.

Exasperated, I groan softly. "God, you've got to be kidding me." The I have to laugh.

She shakes her head. "Not even a little. I — well, Charli found it during a routine exam about two years ago when I was helping her and Peter in Louisiana. I fainted, and she found it on the x-ray. Imagine my surprise."

She squeezes my hand and then pats it a couple of time with a shit-eating grin still on her face. I try to pull my hand away, but she stops me.

"I know what Aro will do to that girl if he finds her," she warns. "And I know what he'll do to you when he finds out what you did. I know what he does to defectors, Edward. It'll be worse than Irina. You didn't just defect. You rebelled. I owe Tanya and Kate for saving me from James. And I owe Irina my life. We can do this, Edward. Or we'll all die."

Clenching my teeth, I pull the knife I brought with me and nudge her aside so I can sit on the toilet lid. Siobhan resumes her former position, propping her foot on my thigh so that her crotch is facing me. This has to be the most ridiculous situation I've ever found myself in, but she's right. I have to do this, or we'll all die.

Despite the placement of her tracker chip, it's not imbedded very deep into her muscle — less than a quarter inch. I have to cut a long line, but the little silver chip slips out of her thigh without much coercion on my part. She never complains or teases, gripping my shoulder and holding her breath as I work to remove it. Ten minutes pass easily, and once it's out, I clean up her leg and press a gauze patch to the incision while wrapping a band around her thigh.

"Nice job, my apprentice," she praises, combing her fingers through my hair and then messing it up. "You'll be a doctor one day."

I rise without much ceremony, stepping away from her. "Get your clothes back on," I order. "We have to go."

I don't give her time to argue with me, washing my hands and then stepping out of the bathroom to see Bella sitting on the bed with our bags.

In the few minutes it takes Siobhan to get dressed, I find enough money to give the woman at the front desk, and Bella watches me intently. She probably heard everything that was said in the bathroom, and I can only imagine what must be going through her head right now. Silence weighs between us as we wait, and I try to say something just as the bathroom door opens.

"Let's go, you two lovebirds," she teases. "We've lingered here quite long enough."

Having had enough of her banter, I turn to Bella and guide her to the door, ready to have this stretch of the trip over before it's even begun. We stop at the front desk and give the same woman from before the money I've taken from my bag, leaving before anything else happens.

After crossing the street to the Jeep, Bella stands back with the bags while I wipe down the interior. I have to throw away all the trash, even though there isn't much, and just as I'm finishing, a large, black Yukon pulls up behind the Jeep. Siobhan jumps out from behind the driver's seat, moving around to the passenger side to wait on me and Bella.

We don't waste any time, all climbing into the deep, dark confines of the SUV and pulling away from the curb before anyone can notice what we've done. Bella lays down in the back seat, and as I watch her from the driver's seat, Siobhan glances at her, speaking softly.

"Oi. You've got it bad," she comments.

I don't mean to scoff, and it seems to egg her on.

"Oh, you do," she gasps. Then her voice turns serious as she lowers it even more. "You know it's forbidden to get involved with a mark. If Aro finds out, he won't just kill her. He'll torture her. He'll use her as an example. He'll — "

"I know," I hiss. "Believe me, I know."

She doesn't say anything after that, and I look at her to see the most bewildered expression on her face.

"It doesn't change anything, does it?" she demands.

I don't know what to say. She's not wrong, but what she's insinuating isn't possible. I knew Kate for eight years, and it wasn't until a little while ago that I realized I loved her. Eight years. How is it possible that I feel something completely different for an eighteen-year-old girl I've known less than 36 hours?

"Ed," Siobhan whisper-hisses. "She's a mark! If you're going to save her, then great. But you absolutely cannot fall for her. Not only is it a death sentence, it's inappropriate! She's a child!"

The laugh that shakes my chest occurs unintentionally, and Siobhan reaches out to slap my arm.

"Behave yourself," she commands. "If we're going to get out of this alive, you cannot allow your feelings for this girl — whatever they might be at this point — cloud your ability to make good choices. You realize you were just immobile for nearly seven hours."

My smile fades, and I look in the rearview mirror at Bella as she sleeps.

"Do you want me to call your father?" Siobhan asks, obviously meaning it as a threat.

I have to sigh, annoyed. "I don't need you to lecture me about what's appropriate," I tell her. "And I don't need a reminder of what will happen if I can't get her somewhere safe. I've been going over it in my head since yesterday morning when James and Kate died."

She exhales loudly, sitting back in her seat with her arms folded tightly over her chest. "Don't suppose you know what you're going to do about that, do you?"

"Not yet," I reply simply.

We don't talk after that, and as soon as I'm on the freeway, Siobhan turns on the radio to find a music station. I watch Bella sleep, knowing I can't be close to her the way she obviously wants to be close to me but not caring one single bit.

* * *

**So what do we think of Siobhan? Good addition or no? I tried to make her a little feisty, so let me know how I did.**

**And what you think about what she said to Edward about Bella? True or not?  
**

**See you all next week!  
**


	13. Safe Haven

******Good morning! I hope we're all doing well especially with it being in the thick of Summer, because from what I've heard it's just gonna get hotter.  
**

**Thanks for all the alerts, favs and reviews, precious to me as they are.  
**

**I don't own Twilight. I just gave Siobhan her spunk and Bella her spine.  
**

**This is also un'beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are all mine.  
**

* * *

**Safe Haven**

Though I'm sure she knows we don't need to stop very often, Siobhan seems to ask to stop at least once every couple of hours — and not just to use the restroom. In the seven hours it takes to get to Fargo, North Dakota, we stop three times, and one of those is to get dinner. By then, Bella is awake in the back seat behind Siobhan but watching me in the rear view mirror. I do my best to not return her gaze, through the traffic lights and then the drive-thru at a Sonic where the girl at the window tries and fails to flirt with me, but it's not easy.

It's dark as we pull around to a park to eat, but we're not stopping for the night. I slept all morning, so I'll be able to drive the rest of the night to our first destination. After distributing the food and allowing my eyes to scan the well-lit park for cops, I absently begin speaking to Siobhan.

"Where were you when Tanya called you?" I ask her.

She takes a long pull from her large drink before answering. "Just got into Calgary from Carmen's in Alaska," she says, idly munching on her fries and glancing at Bella who's eating quietly.

"What exactly did she say?" I continue.

"Like I said, you needed help with a mark, and she said Katie followed you. I talked to Katie before she left Italy. She told me about the triangulation chip, so I set my phone to track hers. Of course, Tanya sounded like she'd had the shit scared out of her when she called me. I'm guessing that was your fault."

At that, I sigh, lowering my eyes to my own food and taking a drink from my cup. "I didn't mean to scare her that bad," I admit. "But I needed her to know how serious it was, and this is more fucking serious than anything else ever has been. Even Irina."

It's quiet for a minute before she turns her eyes to mine. "Did Katie really kill that bastard?" she asks of James.

I nod. "Yeah. If she hadn't — " I glance at Bella to see her looking out the window beside her. "I don't know what I was going to do, but if Kate hadn't shown up, he would've killed me and Bella's parents before he killed her. I'm almost positive of it now. She's the one who really saved Bella. I completely froze."

Siobhan sighs and shakes her head. "I'm sure there was a good reason for it," she says, trying to soothe me. "And . . . Katie really cared about you, Ed. Even if I know why she went there, if something had happened to you, she never would've forgiven herself."

This doesn't make me feel any better, and I can't eat anymore, closing up the food still left and pushing it away. All this does is remind me how much I've fucked up, and no matter what I do, I won't ever be able to reverse this.

It's not fucking fair.

"I have to get gas," I say, turning the engine back on and backing out of the park to get to a gas station.

Siobhan doesn't say anything, glancing at Bella again and sitting back to keep eating.

While I put enough gas to get us to our next destination, Siobhan finds Kate's phone in my bag and takes the chip out. She doesn't take it apart though, and I'm intrigued why.

"By now, Aro will know that you've disobeyed whatever order he gave you. He'll run a trace on your phone and James' — "

"Which will come up empty because I took both the batteries out," I add.

"But he'll also do a trace on Katie's phone," she continues. "Without the triangulating chip, he'll have to do a base trace. Those are only good within twenty miles because of the space between cell phone towers — especially out here."

The gas nozzle clicks, and I put the hose back up before taking out money to pay inside. "And that means what?"

"If he's tracing Katie's phone, he'll have to put spotters out. Up this far north, he'll only have one we need to worry about."

I don't even have to think about it. "Riley."

She nods and hands Kate's phone to me before taking the money to walk inside and pay for the gas. I don't make any moves to turn the phone on, because with it off, the only way Aro can track me is through the small signal the battery will make keeping the memory on the phone. There are more high tech ways to do a trace, but that requires more work on his part. He won't like having to do a trace on me in the first place.

When Siobhan returns, we climb back into the SUV and then pull out of the gas station to get away from Fargo before too much time passes.

"We need information," she says as we pull back onto the freeway. "And we can't stop."

There's an implication in her words that sets my nerves on edge, because I know there's only one way to do that.

"Fine," I huff. "But make it quick."

Before a full sixty seconds pass, Siobhan pulls out her own phone, attaches a small metallic disk to the back and dials a number I don't see as she lifts the phone to her ear. But then I don't have to wonder whom she's called.

"Charli, it's me. I need you to do a patch. Chicago. Yeah, I know. Just do it." Another minute passes, and then she turns on the speaker phone as a dial tone fills the inside of the SUV.

"Charlotte?" my father asks over the phone.

"No," Siobhan says. "It's me and Ed. We need an update."

"What are you doing, calling me like this?" he demands. "Are you using a scrambler?"

"Of course I am," she groans. "Now, stop being such a wanker and give us an update. I know Aro's probably opened the body bags by now."

My father sighs loudly, obviously angry, but then he composes himself to answer her.

"It's far more progressed than that," he says. "He's not only opened them but put the entire Western Extension office on alert. When Edward's report was confirmed to be false, he sent Eleazar to Forks. Thankfully, by then, Jacob already had the parents at a safe location, but I told him not to stay there long. Where are you?" he asks, pausing and then amending that. "No, don't tell me. I don't want to know."

"Is there anything else?" she asks, obviously deciding to take the lead on this call.

"If you're traveling on the interstate, I hope you're doing it in one of our vehicles. I thought I told you to take the back roads."

To that, I have to answer him. "We don't have that kind of time anymore," I say, "especially if he's got Eleazar involved already."

"I convinced him that you haven't called me, but I sent Esme, Rosalie and Alice to a safe house outside his territory. Peter and Leah are with them. I don't know how long they'll be off Aro's radar. Edward, what do you plan on doing now that you've set this in motion?"

As I drive, I still have no clue what I can do in the situation I'm currently in, so I can't lie to him. "I don't know. No matter what I do, I'd have to show myself to him. Demetri and Felix will stop me if I hit him head on. It has to be something he won't be expecting, and I haven't had time to think of anything feasible."

It's quiet for a minute, and when neither I nor Siobhan say anything, my father takes this as his cue to end the phone call.

"Don't contact me like this again," he says. "He's probably logging all our phone calls now, and it's only a matter of time before he begins recording them. If Eleazar doesn't contact me in the next 24 hours, I'll have Jasper and Emmett get to your first location."

The line goes out, and Siobhan shuts off her phone, finally removing the battery and laying it over the dash board as a thoughtful expression crosses her face.

Even in the darkness, I can see the wheels turning in her head. "What are you thinking?" I ask her.

"We need someone Aro won't expect to help us," she says obviously. "And as far as I know, there's only two of those in the entire world." She pauses, scoffs and shrugs. "Well, one, now, since you killed the other one on your last trip to Siberia."

Instantly, I know where her thinking has led her, and in even less time, I shoot her down. "I am _not_ going to Vladimir. He's a sociopath!"

"He's Aro's only enemy we have left to bargain with," she argues. "And we need his resources. Or have you forgotten the shit storm you've got yourself stuck in?"

"If I go to him, he'll kill me," I shout. "I shot his brother. Why would he help me?"

"Because you have something he wants," she counters. "And you know every safe house between here and Moscow that Aro would go to if a hit was put out on him. Ed, we need more than plan A or B. We need the whole bloody alphabet if we're going to stay clear of Aro's clutches long enough for you to strike him back. That is what you want, isn't it? Because that's the only way this is all going to be worth anything."

I can't even begin to entertain what she's suggesting. It's dangerous, it's crazy, and it could make things worse. What's important right now is getting Bella to safety, and once that's done — I don't know, but contacting Vladimir isn't the answer I'm looking for.

"Who's Vladimir?" Bella asks from the back seat.

I look in the rear view mirror, catching her eyes as she still watches me. "He's Aro's last enemy," I say simply.

She looks at Siobhan, obviously thinking over what we've been arguing about. It's more difficult to get a read on her than Siobhan, and I can't begin to imagine what's going through her head.

"I think you should do it," she says, causing a smile to spread across Siobhan's face immediately.

I huff softly. "Bella, it's not that simple. And I'm not equipped to contact him right now. Not with Aro tracking me, and not with you out in the open." Then I turn my attention to the woman beside me. "Stop putting ideas in her head. We're not doing _anything_ until she's safe. And after I've talked to Jasper and Emmett. You're not even supposed to be here. Just sit there and be quiet."

She huffs along with me, turning away from me and folding her arms over her chest. I glance in the rear view mirror at Bella. Nothing is said, but just the fact that she's been paying attention and agrees with Siobhan bothers me. Does she have no self-preservation instincts at all?

None of us talk until it's nearly eleven and we're in the middle of nowhere somewhere between Fargo and our next destination. This time, Bella has to go to the restroom, and even though I don't like it, I allow Siobhan to go inside with her. I can see them all the way in and out, glancing around the parking lot and noticing a few cameras aimed at the vacant lot in the event that some idiot decides to rob the store just before it closes at midnight. But other than this, we don't stop until I pass the sign greeting us as we arrive at our next destination.

_Welcome to Ashland! Home of Bay Days!_

A small amount of comfort spreads over my shoulders as I pull through town toward the north side where my mother's family home is located. It's a well-known place, especially since I used to vacation here when I was younger. Alice and I used to spend summer here away from our father's work, and it wasn't until I started training that we stopped. Right now, it doesn't seem like a good enough reason anymore.

"Are we there?" Siobhan asks softly from her seat.

"Yeah," I say.

I glance at her as she gazes around in the middle-of-the-night darkness. "Home Sweet Home."

At that, I kind of laugh but don't say anything back.

The town is completely dead except for the street lights that guide me toward my destination. I know this town like the back of my hand even though it's been over eight years since I was here, and I find the dark driveway leading to the eggshell white, two-story Colonial home that's been in my mother's family for more generations than I can count on both hands.

The house isn't isolated, but I still pull around to the back of the house on the waterfront of Lake Superior just to be sure no one will see the SUV. It's quiet when I step out into the mid-spring air. There's snow on the ground from a recent storm, and the ground is squishy as I step back to the passenger door to get Bella.

Without hesitating, she reaches for me with her arms so that I have to lift her out of the SUV. Her weight in my arms feels so foreign that I have to secure my hold on her a couple of times as Siobhan grabs the bags and follows me into the house. The way Siobhan looks at me allows me to know she doesn't approve. I don't say or do anything to dissuade her gaze. It's two in the morning, and I just want to sleep.

I don't turn on any lights as we use the key under the mat to get into the back door, walking through the kitchen to the front entryway to make sure everything is the way it should be — including the dead bolt on the front door and the alarm still wired to the front porch. Bella's arms wrap around my neck and shoulders tighter, and her lips rub against my jaw as I turn to ascend the stairs to the second floor. Siobhan follows me slowly.

"Is there any food in the house?" she asks quietly.

"Probably not," I say. "At least, not anything that doesn't need to be cooked. We'll deal with that in the morning. Right now, I just want to sleep."

She huffs but doesn't say anything else, stepping onto the first landing and then the floor. I stop at the first room, turning to her with Bella still in my arms.

"Sleep across the hall," I tell her.

She looks at Bella and then me, knowing I don't intend to leave Bella alone. Then she purses her lips in annoyance. "You better sleep in the goddamn floor," she orders.

Then she sets down our bags and stalks across the hall to another bedroom.

I fully intend to sleep in the floor.

When I move to the bed and lay Bella over the comforter, I try to release her, but she doesn't release me. Leaning back, I see her eyes open and on me.

"Bella, come on," I whisper. "It's two in the morning. I need to sleep."

"Don't go," she pleads.

"I'm not going anywhere," I assure her. "I'll just be in the floor. You need to sleep too."

Still, she refuses to let go, grasping onto my shirt and scooting back onto the bed so there's more than enough room for both of us on it. My legs move before I have a chance to stop her, and as I kneel onto the bed, she turns her back to me so I have to lay on my left side with my chest against her back.

She fits against me so perfectly that it terrifies me. Then she snuggles up closer so that my crotch is snug against her bottom. I want to keep as safe a distance between us as possible, but every time she feels me scoot a little away, she moves the same increment closer to me until we're laying over the middle of the bed. Soon, her breathing deepens softly, signaling that she's fallen asleep. Slowly, I follow her, unconsciously easing my arm around her so that I'll feel if anyone tries to move her.

In what seems to be a pattern, I have another dream as I sleep, but this time, I'm sitting at a bar while Siobhan and Bella do tequila shots and talk about their first boyfriends. Neither of them are paying attention to me, but I can hear a tone in Siobhan's voice that tells me she knows I'm there.

I've heard Siobhan talking about the disastrous first date she went on with Diego, and then halfway through her training, she met Maggie. When Kate told me about them, I couldn't hide my surprise, especially with as flirtatious as Siobhan was. But Maggie was in the same program even though she was training to be a psychologist for the trainees, instead of a physician like Siobhan.

Bella sees me in my dream and leaves Siobhan's side to face me, and when she kisses me, none of my reasons to push her away persist. I kiss her back with absolute certainty that I'll either burn in hell for it or follow her into the pearly white gates of Heaven.

Either way, I can't let her go.

* * *

**So things might heat up between Edward and Bella. He's only known her a few days now. What do you think of that?**

**And what do you think of Siobhan?  
**

**I'll see ya'll next week!  
**


	14. Decoy

******So we still have Siobhan here to keep Edward in check, but how long will she stick around? And what will happen if she leaves? One can only guess.  
**

**I don't own Twilight. I'm just moving around pieces on her chess board.  
**

**Thanks for all the alerts, favs and reviews. You guys are awesome, especially those of you who keep coming back for more.  
**

**This is all also un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are all mine.  
**

* * *

**Decoy**

A gentle blue light wakes me to the sensation of a soft body pressed against me, and for a few precious seconds, I think I'm home. I think Alice has crawled into my bed after having a bad dream, and when that happens, I'm usually the only one who can make the nightmares go away. The soft body scoots closer to me, and pain in my right hip vibrates up my side so suddenly that my eyes flip open as I jolt up from a deep sleep.

The dim bedroom comes into focus, and then I see Bella asleep in front of me. Even my abrupt awakening hasn't stirred her, and she moves closer in search of me before realizing that I'm no longer pressed against her. The apparent loss of warmth wakes her slowly, and her eyes open to find mine. She doesn't speak, rising to her elbow and leaning her face into mine before I can back away. Her lips touch mine so gently that I flinch, thinking something horrible will happen if I continue letting her do this.

But the world doesn't explode. The walls don't come crashing in.

Instead, my reflexes kick in, and I fall onto her body without worrying about the consequences my brain knows will follow. Her arms fold over the back of my neck, and her hips easily cradle mine until I'm pressed against her differently from any way I ever was with Kate. As her legs hug me closer to her, I grab one of her thighs to wrap it around my waist.

A little whimper passes from her lips to mine, and she opens her mouth just a little, allowing my tongue entrance. She feels so good in my arms now that I don't question it. Whether I like it or not, whether it's right or not, this feels like something I was always supposed to do. It feels like the deep scar inside my soul is finally beginning to heal.

Her hands rub the back of my head, stroking my hair and sending a shuddering shiver through my torso. I have to let go of her lips, but as soon as I do, she reaches for my waist and pulls my shirt up over my head. This movement startles me, and I lean back to look at her as she opens her eyes to look at me.

I don't know what to say to her, but something in me keeps telling me this is wrong. She's only eighteen. I owe her better than someone like me. These thoughts are trying to fill my head, but the way she trusts me and wants me close pushes all those thoughts away. If she doesn't care what I've done, I can't understand why it should be so important to me.

"Edward," she whispers.

I'm about to lean in and kiss her again when Siobhan's voice breaks through the heavy fog I've allowed myself to fall into.

"I hope you two are decent in there," she yells, causing Bella to jump. "We don't have time for a bunch of lollygagging. I've got an idea. Let's go!"

Instantly, I'm realigned with our current predicament, and I move away from Bella to pull my shirt back on. She follows me, and together, we leave the room to get downstairs where Siobhan is rummaging through the cupboards in the kitchen.

She grimaces when she sees us, scoffing loudly. "Thank God I'm a deep sleeper," she complains. "I hope the two of you keep your wits about you when I'm gone."

I move around to her side, making her face me. "What are you going on about now?" I demand.

"I've got an idea," she repeats. "A way to lead the trace away from you so you can get to the next location."

"Yeah," I nod, "you mentioned that. What's your brilliant idea?"

She playfully gasps, and it's clear to me that she thinks I should've figured it out by now. "Isn't it obvious?" she says. "You need to stay ahead of Riley. I can lead him away from here, and you can drive south."

I'm skeptical of her enthusiasm, but not because I don't trust her.

When I don't jump for joy over her idea, she exhales sharply. "Come on, Ed. You know I'm right."

"I know," I agree. "And that scares me."

She grins but doesn't reply, glancing at Bella and then continuing her perusing of the cupboards for something to eat.

Nothing else is said until she closes the last one loudly and groans loudly. "Shit, where in this God-forsaken hell hole can a girl get a good meal for breakfast?"

"You're not going to be happy unless we're walking around in the open like the fucking Brady Bunch, are you?" I huff even as I smile.

She grins curiously. "I resent that," she says defensively. "And I'm starving. So let's get away from here before we implement our new plan."

I can't argue with her, glancing at Bella and agreeing with a mere nod.

"There's a café in town," I suggest. "Let's go. Before something else happens."

With only one vehicle, we have to climb back into the SUV Siobhan brought with her from Canada to get away from the house. We don't go far, driving farther into town to a small café that serves breakfast. The waitress tries to flirt with me, even with two obviously attractive women accompanying me, and Siobhan easily shoos her away after we order so we can talk.

"You're forgetting one thing," I tell Siobhan as we huddle around the table.

She smirks. "And exactly what is that, Ed?"

I glance around before speaking a little lower. "I don't have a car anymore. And if you leave, how am I supposed to get to the next safe house?"

"You said you were going to wait for Jasper and Emmett," she shrugs. "That sounds like the best course of action for you. And they'll be better equipped to deal with Riley than we will."

I have to shake my head, silenced for a minute as our waitress returns with our drinks and then disappears again. "My father said only if Eleazar didn't call him in twenty-four hours. And for all we know, that's already happened. If Aro knows I'm running, and he's already called Eleazar, the next thing that would happen is contacting my father. I can't work off the assumption that my father will send Jasper and Emmett anyway. It's not logical."

"But you need a decoy," Siobhan insists. "You can't keep running with her in tow if you don't do something to throw them off. I'll take Katie's phone and drive east. If Riley's on our tail, then we don't have time to argue. And working off the assumption that Jasper and Emmett will come is the best assumption to make. More than anything, your father wants you safe. Sending Jasper and Emmett is the only way to ensure that."

I can't disagree with her, but waiting for something that might not happen sounds stupid and crazy to me. How am I supposed to keep Bella safe if I'm stuck in a house in a town where Aro will be positive I'll hide from him?

The bell above the door dings with the entrance of a new customer, and I'm momentarily distracted enough to look up and see our waitress coming back with a much more determined look on her face.

For several nerve-wracking seconds as she makes our way to us, the fear I've been fighting that we will be found before Siobhan's master plan can be implemented makes a new and improved appearance as our waitress reaches into her apron for an unseen item. She's looking at me like she knows me, and even in the short minutes we've been sitting here, I know that's impossible.

Then before I can do anything but sit there wringing my hands, she stops at our table and stares at me thoughtfully.

"You're Edward," she says — a statement of fact that she doesn't wait for me to confirm before laying a folded piece of paper on the table. "He said you would come here."

I'm speechless as she walks away like nothing happened, and with a dry mouth, I reach for the paper to see what's on it. A threat? An offer? My life for Bella's?

It's a choice I don't have to make.

My hands are shaking as I unfold the paper, and my heart is hammering inside my chest as the elegant scrawl of my father's handwriting is revealed to my relieved eyes. I have to exhale the air I sucked in, rubbing my forehead before I can even read what he wrote. Siobhan takes the paper and reads silently before looking at me with an annoyed expression on her face.

"What is it?" Bella asks.

I look at her and then Siobhan, taking the paper to read what my father wrote.

_Bears and honey en route. New cable installed. It's a hit. Five large for the bird's wings. Dead bird a bonus. Second point of contact secured._

This is much worse than I thought.

Without too much argument from Bella or Siobhan, we get our breakfast to go and leave the café before the sinking feeling in my gut has a chance to completely overpower my instincts telling me to run like Hell. We make it back to my mother's family home before nine a.m., and while Bella eats, Siobhan and I look over a set of maps of the area that are kept in the basement of the house.

"We're right on the lake," she says as we scour the map for points of exit. "There aren't many places to hide once we make it out of town." She pauses and scoffs. "Well, once you make it out of town. A hit that big is bad news, and if Carlisle had a message sent here for you then he knew it was coming. It's not safe for you to be out in the open."

At this point, I have no argument, knowing what my options are and not liking them one single fucking bit. And more than that, I don't like making Siobhan a target. She wasn't supposed to be with me, and I don't want her to die.

"No shit," I huff.

"Listen, I'll take Katie's phone and drive as far from here as I can. It'll throw Riley off long enough for Jasper and Emmett to get here for the two of you. Ed, you've got to get to next location. It's the only way all of this will be worth anything."

I lift my eyes to hers, again knowing what she's thinking and really not liking it at all. "I can't do that to you," I tell her. "Not just because of Kate. If Riley finds you, he'll — " I can't even say it out loud anymore, and just the fact that she knows it along with me is enough to make me sick to my stomach.

"He won't find me," she swears. "He won't catch me. Even if I only have a little head start, it'll be enough. We don't have time to argue about this, Ed."

"Well, we're arguing about it," I yell. "This isn't what Kate wanted. She didn't want you to do this. You're not even supposed to be here!"

"Well, I'm here, God damn it, and I'm not letting you handle this on your own!"

I huff again, glancing around and seeing Bella standing at the edge of the room and watching us yell at each other. Siobhan turned her eyes to the entryway, exhaling sharply and folding her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"Listen," Siobhan said after a minute. "Katie was my best friend. She was one of the few people who never looked at me like I was a freak, and she always did things the right way. She wasn't like Diego or Riley or that bastard James. She was good — like me and you and Maggie and everyone else who's loyal to Carlisle, because he's good. He never orders hits or sends people like you or me to finish off innocent families. I know how Riley thinks. I know what he'll do. I can do this, Ed. Please let me do this."

I still don't like it, but her impassioned speech has stirred a new idea inside my head. If she leaves here and goes east, she'll head off into Canada. Aro has a few more spotters in the area farther north, and it'll be even harder for Siobhan to get away. But if she hits Highway 2 out of town and then turns south, she'll be in Chicago in less than eight hours.

"Fine," I say after thinking all of this. "But only if you go to my father."

The incredulous look in her eyes tells me she wants to be pissed at me for suggesting it, but she doesn't say anything to express it, glancing at Bella and then the map. "Agreed," she says and looks at me. "But we need a new method of communication, and we're not going to do some lame emailing gig like you and your father. There's a cellular store in town. And I have an untraceable card from my last training bout."

This can't be good where her mind is going, but I can't deny that we need a way to talk if something happens. "All right," I nod. "Let's make it quick so you can get on the road."

There's no wasting time, and once we're at said cellular store, I stand back and allow Siobhan to work her magic. It's not her fault the salesguy doesn't know she won't ever be playing for his team again. She does all the talking, and I stand there pretending to be interested. Really, though, I'm watching Bella wander through the store as a few other patrons do the same thing. Her eyes catch mine every few minutes, but other than that, we don't do much else.

I want Siobhan to find the cheapest phone she can so this won't take so long, but instead, she finds two very expensive phones, puts them on a plan and flirts with the guy helping us until he gives us a discount we're not even eligible for because we don't live there and won't ever see him again. If I try to stop her, I'll look like an idiot, and right now, I'm trying not to draw too much attention to myself.

Just as Siobhan is finishing up, I discreetly nod to Bella that it's time to leave. I watch her walk out of the store without buying anything, and with our new purchases in hand, Siobhan and I follow her slowly, playfully chattering like the couple our salesguy obviously thinks we are because he looks disappointed. I actually feel kinda bad for him.

"Now, you know when to call, right?" she asks as we drive back to my mother's house.

"Unless something happens, as soon as Jasper and Emmett arrive, and then after that, once we're at the next safe house," I reply diligently, opting to take her lead since she's obviously got everything under control so far. I can only hope our luck holds so she'll make it to my father safely. "And when do you call me?" I ask her.

"Unless I see Riley, the halfway mark at Wausau, and then the minute I walk through the door at your father's house," she replays with a little too much chipper in her voice — so much so that I'm a little terrified of her enthusiasm, but only because I think she does it to scare me. "And I'll call your father using my scrambler at the halfway mark. Relax, Ed. This will work."

A heavy sigh passes my lips as we pull up behind the house. "I hope so. Just be careful," I tell her, getting out and moving to the back seat to help Bella. "Don't speed, and don't make any unnecessary stops. The less of a foothold the trace gets on any one place, the better."

She groans and rolls her eyes. "I know, I know. Just get inside, will you? I know what I'm doing."

Just to be sure, I stop at the driver's side window and reach in for her, pressing my forehead to hers and pleading with whatever force has been watching over us to keep its eyes on her. "If I believed in God, I'd pray to him for you," I whisper. "Please. Just . . . please."

I don't want anyone else to get hurt, and most especially her now that she's helped me because of what happened to Kate. No one else can die because I've screwed up, even if I don't regret it at all.

She wraps her hands around my wrists, lifting her head and pressing her cheek to mine. "I'll be fine," she swears. "I know Riley's way. They've hard-wired him to follow orders. Once he sees the trace moving, he'll report it, and they'll tell him to follow it. I've got plenty of time."

Slowly, I lean back, lifting my eyes to hers and hoping she knows how dangerous and serious this is. So far, she's been her normal, unassuming self, but she's putting herself in Aro's sights for me. If she gets hurt, or worse, if Riley catches her and does to her what we both know he will . . . I won't ever forgive myself.

No more words are spoken as she pulls her seat belt on and puts the SUV in gear to drive away. I wait until she's gone to pull Bella back into the house. Now that we have to wait for Emmett and Jasper, we have to get out of sight, and I have to get the house ready. Emmett will know the code for the security system, but I can't take any chances.

After getting all of the bags and putting everything back the way it was, I make my way to the basement with Bella. She hasn't said anything all morning, and I know she's worried. There's a bed in the basement, so I let her lay back down while I keep going over everything I know so far.

The last time I can remember Aro putting a hit that big on any target, it was when he discovered Stefan and Vladimir driving their way across Europe three years ago. I had been unavailable, and the guy he put on them lost their trail before a solid ID could be made. And then a year and a half ago, Irina defected to Romania and married Stefan — or at least, that's what Aro always told anyone who asked.

He knows I'm running, he knows Bella and her parents are alive, and by now, he knows someone else is helping me. It's possible he's already deduced who it is considering that Charlotte is currently still working in Louisiana with another training facility, and it would've been too easy to track Siobhan's last movements before she started following me.

I can think of only one way to put Aro down for good. I don't like it, and I know it's not going to be the easiest thing to do. If I can find Vladimir, I can promise him more information on Aro than he's ever had in his entire life — and that's saying a lot, since they've been enemies since before either of them were born.

I've never purposefully put myself in the path of a Romanian Mob Boss, but if Siobhan's right — and she unfortunately usually is — then he'll want what I have. He'll give me anything I need to get him what he wants. It's the safest bet I've had yet, and it's almost painful to admit that.

"Edward."

Bella's voice breaks through my intense thought process, and I glance back to see her watching me from the bed. I go to her without hesitating, sitting at her side and gently caressing her forehead.

"Everything's okay," I whisper. "Jasper and Emmett will be here soon, and we'll get out of here before anything bad can happen. I swear I'll do whatever it takes to make you safe again."

She reaches for my hand and pulls me closer so that I have to lay over the bed to keep pressure off my hip. Without another word, she scoots close to me until I can put my arms around her to hold her. She's shaking and breathing raggedly. Instincts I didn't even know I had kick in just at the right moment, and I squeeze her gently, pressing my cheek to her forehead.

"It's okay," I whisper still. "It's all gonna be okay."

She doesn't speak, pressing her face against my neck and grasping onto my shirt for dear life.

* * *

**Now what?  
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**And just so we're clear: Five large = Five million dollars (at least in my world)  
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**Also, guess where we've found ourselves?  
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**If enough of you guess right, I'll think about posting a new chapter sooner.  
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**Until then, see ya later!  
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	15. Last Resistance

******Okay, so I know it's been a little while, and I have no excuses, but I'm hoping to make it up with this chapter. I can honestly say this was a long time coming, but I promise this is not the end-all,be-all of the story. We're not even at the halfway mark.  
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**So I won't bore you up here. Important stuff is at the bottom. The warning on this chapter is mostly for very adult situations, and if you're not 18, don't say I didn't warn you.  
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**I don't own Twilight. I'm just borrowing her characters for a little while.  
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**Thanks for the reviews, alerts and favs. Y'all are awesome!  
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**This is also un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are mine.  
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**Last Resistance**

There's food in the basement, but I'm not hungry. I'm listening to the house as I lay over the bed with Bella in my arms. It's so quiet that I can hear every squeak of the house and tick of the clock. There are birds chirping despite it being nearly one o'clock. Two cats get into a spat close to the one window that allows light into the basement. I can even hear water lapping against the lake side that's less than fifty feet from the edge of the house.

"How much longer?" Bella asks against my neck, grasping onto my shoulders.

The vibration of her voice sends a shallow set of chills through my chest, and I hold her tighter. "I'm not sure," I whisper. "But I'll hear them. Don't worry. We're safe."

"I'm scared," she cries.

Slowly, I lean back to look at her, knowing there isn't anything I can do to calm her fears even though holding her seems to be helping a little. She lifts her hands to my face, and gently, the tip of her nose touches mine.

This feeling I've been experiencing continues to grow every time I'm near her, and my instincts keep screaming at me to stop. The place where this will lead me won't be safe anymore, and if we weren't alone, I wouldn't even be doing any of this. But we are alone, and if I don't move away from her soon, I won't be able to stop what happens next.

"Edward," she whispers softly, her lips so dangerously close to mine that if I lean mere centimeters closer, I'll kiss her again.

"I shouldn't do this," I warn her.

"But you want to."

Her body is so close to mine. It feels nothing like what I'm used to, and I don't know what to do next. But I can't deny what she says. I know now that she's right.

I want her.

Her lips find mine before I have a chance to completely deny myself her closeness, and slowly, I kiss her back while holding her small body a little closer to me. She's warm and pliable and doesn't stop me when I roll her onto her back so that I'm above her. Her hips cradle mine gently, and she gasps softly against my mouth. My cock is already hard with my blood pumping faster through every part of my body, and when she releases my lips, I lean back to look at her.

"How far did you and your boyfriend . . ."

I feel like some kind of villain about to rob the heroine of a story of her precious virtue, but before the thought can even really form in my head, Bella leans up again and kisses me with more enthusiasm than she has yet. She holds my face in her hands and wraps her legs around me so that my growing erection is pressed against the apex of her legs.

Overwhelmed, I brace my arms above her head, and gently, our bodies rub together as her tongue finally makes contact with mine. It's nothing like the way Kate ever kissed me, but it feels so much more arousing and passionate. I've known Bella for three days. How is this possible?

Bella releases my face, and I dip my head to kiss her cheek and then her neck. She smells so amazing, and her pulse is racing against the tip of my tongue. Her hands find the hem of my shirt, and in seconds, it disappears. The air is colder than it should be, but that isn't why I shake with another set of chills. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Bella grabs my ass and pulls me closer.

"He touched me a lot," she moans against my lips. "And we were going to have sex before my father pulled me out of school. But we never . . ."

Her voice trails off softly as she presses her forehead to mine.

For an instant, I have to stop.

"So you're a virgin," I whisper, cradling her head in my hands and shaking again as she rubs my back.

"Will it make you stop?" It sounds a little like she's pleading with me not to.

It should. I'm not even supposed to be doing anything like this. And if I do, everything will change.

But her eyes are boring into me and her fingertips are grasping onto me. I want this, and I know she wants it too. Do I even have the right to be with her this way?

"Edward," she whispers again, cupping my face again and rubbing my bottom lip before she leans up to keep kissing me.

My hands work on their own, grasping onto her leg and gently grinding us together. The button of her jeans rubs against my abdomen, and even though I want to slow down, her continued persistence is diminishing that desire to be replaced with another one I didn't even know I had.

Suddenly, she pushes me back, and for a second, I think she's stopping me. Oddly, I feel disappointed until she turns me over so that she's sitting on my legs. She wraps her arms around my shoulders, combing her fingers through my hair and making me shiver again. I grasp onto her hips a little tighter, and slowly, her smooth, soft skin makes contact with my fingertips. Without thinking of the consequences, I remove her shirt and am a little shocked to discover her bare.

Bella takes my hand in hers and lays it over her left breast. She's softer here and fills my palm a little more than Kate ever did. Her nipple hardens almost as soon as I touch it, and I rub her gently. More than anything, no matter what she did with her boyfriend, I want to go slow with her despite my desire to have her body as close to mine as possible.

I'm not James. I'm not an animal, and I don't treat other people the way he did.

She grinds her hips into mine again, and instinctively, I hold onto her ass so that her belly is pressed against mine. Her hands find the buttons and then the zipper of my jeans, and I'm suddenly thinking about the fact that I'm not wearing any underwear.

"Edward, I want you," she moans against my mouth. "Please." She leans back and opens her eyes to look at me. "I know this doesn't make sense, and I know it's not safe. But I want you. And I know you want me. I trust you, and I know you won't let anyone hurt me."

She kisses me again, her tongue gently licking mine as she grasps onto my waist.

Slowly, she rises to her knees so that her chest is level with my eyes, and instead of rubbing her nipple again, I lean forward and lick the tiny bud. She moans softly as I close my mouth around her while my fingers unfasten her jeans and unzip them so that we're both on even ground.

I'm ignoring every instance of my conscience telling me to stop. She feels so good in my arms, and I no longer care that it's dangerous to get so involved with her when I need to be paying attention to the house around us. Gently, her round, firm bottom fills my hands as I push her jeans away, and she shifts from one knee to the other until she's straddling my legs in a pair teal blue thong panties.

I lift my eyes to Bella, and she grins mischievously.

Together, we remove my jeans, and suddenly, I'm naked as she lowers her hand and wraps it around my cock. A deeper set of chills wracks my body, and she begins stroking me. Her lips find mine, and the way she's handling me is staggering. Clearly, she's done this before. I can only imagine who taught her.

Quickly, my dick grows harder and thicker, and Bella lowers her mouth over my neck until I can no longer sit up. She pushes me back to my elbows, still stroking and then licking my skin from the hollow of my throat to both my pecs. Her hand keeps moving, and her lips continue their journey down my body until she facing my cock.

"Bella, you don't have to do this," I whisper, groaning softly.

She doesn't answer me, extending her tongue and licking one side of my dick before the other. My body jerks from the contact, and she presses her hand to my stomach to hold me still. Does she realize exactly how impossible that is for me right now?

She's still close enough for me to grab her ass, and she closes her mouth around me as my fingers push the waistband of her thong panties from her hips. The air is charged and hot, and I can't believe I'm really doing this. But I can't stop.

Her tongue feels . . . exquisite, lapping against me and swirling around my head. Kate never really did anything like this to me, and I guess I didn't know enough about sex at first to ask her about it. But Bella definitely knows what she's doing. That doesn't mean to say that Kate never did what Bella's doing. It's just never been like this.

"Shit, Bella."

My soft groan spurs her on further, and while she starts sucking gently, I push her panties all the way off until she's naked like I am. This small act prompts her to rise up away from my cock, and even though she's still kind of stroking me, she straightens up until her face is level with mine. She kisses me fervently, tongue and all, smearing evidence of me all over my face, and I decide it's time to pay her back for that.

It's easy to take control even as she still kisses me, and in an instant, our positions are reversed so that I'm above her again. She grasps onto my forearms as I continue kissing her, but now, her legs are spread beneath me with her knees hugging my hips. Gently, I ease my lips and tongue along her jaw, and she shivers similar to the way I did, also grinning and biting her bottom lip. I kiss her lips on my way to the other side of her delectable neck, and her grip on my arms tightens a little.

The hollow of her neck and her collarbones give under my mouth, and she's breathing in slow sips of air. Whether she's been touched by the tight-end boyfriend or not, I know she doesn't need me to rush anything. In the back of my mind, this course of action is stupid and won't end very well, but my hormones are screaming for me to ignore the voice in my head.

So I do, making quick work of licking her nipples and leaving a wet trail of kisses down the middle of her abdomen, which fluctuates as I pass over it.

"Edward," she moans, shifting her hips around and almost pinching the skin around my wrists. "Oh, God."

This makes me grin even though it's completely foreign to me. If God only knew . . .

Her skin above the apex of her legs is soft and smooth, just like the rest of her, and I'm surprised to find her dark pubic hair trimmed very short. It doesn't bother me, but it makes me remember that Kate was completely bare. Again, it's not an issue, but when I pause, Bella rises to her elbows to look at me.

"Is something wrong?" she asks, her voice soft and plaintive.

To answer her, I lean forward, spreading her legs a little wider to see her glistening from the moisture I've coaxed out of her and then extending my tongue to lick her pink, swollen lips. She moans again, remaining of her elbows and grinning again. I keep licking her, and her grin widens until she licks her lips and bites her bottom lip hard.

I've honestly only done this a handful of times. On the few occasions that Kate taught me to please her, she always said I was a good student, and I know now that it was in those moments that I admired and appreciated her the most. She wasn't the love of my life, but now I know that I loved her.

Bella smells and tastes so amazing, so different, and I find myself only wanting more of her the longer I kiss her. She shifts her hips around again, still on her elbows as she moves against my tongue. I see her hands grasping onto the sheets beneath her, and it's this image of her completely at my mercy that makes me want to be inside her.

"Oh, God," she cries. "Edward!"

She's moving faster and getting closer to her high, and her skin flushes just as she again bites down on her lip hard enough to nearly break the skin. Moisture from within her gushes onto my tongue, and I smile inwardly at my achievement. She's panting and squeezing her eyes shut, and slowly, I crawl up so that I'm kissing the parts of her body still pushed to the edge from my treatment of her body.

"I don't want to hurt you, Bella," I whispered against her lips as she still pants.

She wraps her hand around the back of my head and slams my mouth onto hers. The world begins to spin, and she huffs as we pull apart.

"You won't," she says, pausing and then saying, "not in a way that won't heal. I want you to, Edward. I want you," she whispers like she did earlier.

While she's saying this, I can feel her stroking herself and then taking the moisture on her fingers to stroke me again. I'm already hot, and sweat is beading up along my forehead and down my neck. Worsening this further, she grasps onto my hip and pulls me a little closer. It's not that I've never done this before, because I've been having sex for the last eight years. But her warmth is different from Kate's.

She's so vulnerable and scared, and I don't want to make it worse by losing control over the way I move with her. But the instant my wet tip makes contact with hers, I feel something deep inside me shatter easily. I still lower my fingers to her slick skin to find her entrance and lean in until all I have to do is thrust forward. Her grin fades as I push further, and it takes a few gentle thrusts for me to get all the way in. She's so tight and hugging me so hard that I can barely move.

My subconscious is screaming at me for being so stupid and taking advantage of her being so innocent and defenseless, and when I pull back a little to push back into her, a soft whimper escapes her now red, swollen lips. But she's not screaming or crying. She leans up so that her forehead in against mine, and I kiss her gently.

"Are you okay?" I whisper.

She nods and holds me tighter, urging me on.

Slowly, the push and pull increases until I can feel my own release close. Her grasp on me tightens, and her body beneath mine feels so completely different from the last time I did this four or five days ago. The gentle caress of her fingertips up and down my spine makes me bold enough to grab her leg and pull it further around the side of my body. She angles her hips up, taking me further inside her, and a soft groan falls from my lips.

Fuck, this is so different. It feels so strange. But it feels so good.

My gut and my balls tighten slowly as the coil inside me pulls and pushes with each thrust. She grabs my ass cheek and pulls me closer, pressing the length of her nose against mine and meeting each thrust of mine with one of her own. The action makes me fucking yell, but I can't understand what comes out of my mouth. It's something guttural and unintelligible.

Bella leans up to kiss my jaw, clamping her free hand around my shoulder and urging my body to further tighten as we lay claim to each other.

I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen three days ago when I found her in her bed and knew I couldn't kill her. How could I have?

It takes a lot of restraint to not slam into her the way my instincts are yelling at me to do, but I'm so close. It was never like this with Kate.

With one final thrust, I'm done for, releasing inside her before I can pull out and feeling a slip of dread fill my stomach as we continue to move while the taut muscles inside her milk me for all I'm worth. It feels so incredible and perfect. My subconscious is chastising me for being so stupid, but I can't do anything to stop what I've already done.

And the strange, frightening thing is that I don't want to stop it.

A light sheen of sweat covers my back as she keeps rubbing my shoulders and then my spine, and I prop my arms above her head, searching her face for any kind of pain.

"Are you okay?" I whisper softly, caressing her cheek and almost smiling when she leans up to kiss me.

"My God," she pants. "I can't . . . think . . . the right words. Is it — Is it always like that?"

I don't know what to say.

Is she in pain? Did I hurt her? She was so tight, and though I don't mean to brag, I know I've stretched her to her body's limits.

I start to move away from her, but she stops me.

"No, don't go," she pleads. "I want you to stay here."

"I shouldn't have done this," I whisper, and her growing grin fades slightly. "I'm not sorry that I have. But I shouldn't have done it now. Did I hurt you?"

She shakes her head. "It's not that bad. Not as bad as Angela said it would be."

I smile curiously. "Angela? When did she — "

"Right after we came back from the joyriding event," she says, still kind of panting. "When we got home, her boyfriend Ben took her out, and when I talked to her the next morning, she said they had sex. She said it was awkward, and he was nervous. But you've — You've obviously done it before."

I'm blushing before I realize it, and she grins again.

"I have," I confirm, rubbing her forehead and kissing her.

She lifts her head up and wraps her arms around my neck and shoulders, whispering in my ear. "I want to be on top next time."

Despite the fact that I know she's serious, I'm worried. I want to tell her we can't do this again until she's safe, but I don't. I just hold her and breathe in her scent as deep as I can. I don't know why, but I'm so calm.

Then a loud buzzing sound cracks through the thick bubble I've enclosed us in, and my training kicks in immediately. I nudge her away and lift my head, recognizing the sound as an alarm from the back of the house. This time, she releases me when I pull away, and while I pull my jeans back on, she grabs her shirt.

"Stay here," I order, grabbing my gun and slowly making my way up the stairs to the door that leads up into the storage room of the house.

This had better be Jasper and Emmett, or I'm pumping whoever it is full of the clip in my gun.

* * *

**So even though they've, um, given in, as it were, the danger is still there. Who is this coming into the house? Could it be Jasper and Emmett?**

**The next chapter will hopefully be ready sooner than this one, but I can't make any promises. Just know that I will update as soon as I can.  
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**Thanks for reading, and everybody have a great Sunday!  
**


	16. A New Strategy

******Here we are with a new chapter, and I hope you're all ready for a new turn in the story. We meet a couple of new characters in this chapter too, but their identity should be obvious.  
**

**Thanks for the faves and alerts, and especially the reviews. They mean a lot to me.  
**

**I don't own Twilight. If I did, honestly, would I be here?  
**

**This is also un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are all mine.  
**

**Enjoy!  
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* * *

**A New Strategy**

Siobhan has only been gone two and a half hours. She won't reach the halfway mark for another two hours, so I know she couldn't have called my father yet. Because the house is quiet and only lit by the light coming in from outside, there are a few shadows I can hide inside while scoping the windows and doors. I check the front door first, clearing the porch and the small driveway that reaches the house from the street. The alarm system is still buzzing, but not from the front of the house.

Knowing this, I tighten my hold on my gun and move toward the back of the house, starting with the kitchen where the back door leads outside.

Before I get there, I hear glass shatter against the floor followed by a soft hiss.

"Shit!"

Amazingly, he still thinks he hasn't been heard, and I'm a little peeved with him. How can he be so stupid?

The wooden floor creaks under him, and I inch closer to the kitchen entrance without having revealed myself to him. Gently, I switch the safety off on my own weapon, and finally, he yells.

"If you shoot me, Rose is gonna chop your dick off and mail it to your grandmother!"

Annoyed, I stand up straight, still grasping the ivory grip of my gun and turning to the doorway so he'll see me. His curly dark brown hair is a little longer, and his cobalt blue eyes look even less menacing now than they did the last time I saw him. "Well, if you weren't as loud as a fucking rhinoceros, maybe I wouldn't be so goddamn jumpy," I gripe.

"And maybe if you hadn't fucked up, I wouldn't have to find you like this," he grumbled.

I don't put my gun down, but slowly, I smile, not having seen him in as long as I've seen my father. "You're not wrong there, Emmett," I say even though I don't entirely agree. "Where's Jasper?"

"Checking the perimeter. He wanted to make sure Riley hadn't been snooping around."

"You tripped the alarm on the back door," I inform him as the front door opens with the arrival of his traveling companion.

Emmett smirks and puts his own nine millimeter away. "I know."

This is the last thing he says before Jasper steps into the kitchen slipping his weapon into the holster strapped to his back.

"The perimeter's secure," he reports. Then he looks at me. "Should I be surprised that you're half-dressed? Alice said to slap you for being such an ass by taking this assignment from Aro, but I tried to tell her I couldn't do that. It's awkward."

This annoys me as much as I've annoyed Emmett, but I don't say anything as we stand in the kitchen silently for a couple of minutes before Jasper speaks again.

"Where's the girl?" he asks me.

"In the basement. I didn't know how far out you were, and I wanted her to be safe."

His light brown eyes seem to assess my appearance instantly, and it only takes another minute for him to groan softly. "Aw, hell, really? You've been alone with her for what? A few hours? Is nothing sacred?"

I don't know him as well as I know Emmett, even with him dating my sister, but his appraisal of my current state embarrasses me a little more than it should. Blood rushes to my face, and I fold my arms over my chest after putting the safety of my gun back on and sliding into the waist of my jeans.

Emmett chuckles softly. "That is not what I was expecting to find when I got here," he teases. "Good God, man, you must be velvety smooth."

Jasper glances at him and then me before moving to leave the kitchen. "We don't have time for this," he says. Slowly, I follow him as he continues. "How long has Siobhan been gone?"

"Just over two hours," I tell him, moving ahead of him to open the basement door and lead the way down. "She's not due to call me or my father when she reaches Wausau, unless she sees Riley."

"And she's got Kate's phone?" Emmett asks as he follows Jasper.

I nod. "Yeah."

The staircase stops just before another door in the floor, and I open it up to climb down another set of steps to where I left Bella.

I'm not surprised to find her curled into a tight ball against the corner of the bed away from the stairs. She's now dressed in her shirts, jeans and shoes, and I grab a shirt before hurrying to sit in front of her.

"It's okay," I whisper to her. "You're still safe."

Suddenly, she lunges for me and throws her arms around him. I hold onto her automatically, glancing back at Emmett and Jasper even though I don't say anything.

"Where's your map?" Jasper asks, the authority in his voice even more obvious than my father's.

I nod to the other side of the basement where I laid it all out, and he smirks before moving over to the table while I sit with Bella to keep her calm. While Jasper gets to work, Emmett steps closer to the bed and then sits down next to me.

"You're Isabella," he says, reaching out slowly and rubbing her shoulder as she remains clung to me. "I'm Emmett. We're all gonna keep you safe, okay?"

She lifts her head and looks at me, and when I nod, she extends her hand to him. "Call me Bella," she says with a nod. "It's nice to meet you."

He smiles with these big, deep dimples, and even after Bella releases his hand and lays her head over my shoulder, I know she's still looking at him, trying to make sure he's like me.

"Where's the closest safe house from here?" Jasper asks, looking over the illuminated map in front of him.

Though I don't know the name, I recite the coordinates instantly. "40°50'24"N, 94°6'0"W."

I listen to him mumble for a minute.

"Forty degrees . . . fifty minutes . . . twenty-four seconds . . . north." He runs his fingers over the map and traces a line from where I'm guessing we are to where we need to go, mumbling again. "Ninety-four degrees . . . six minutes . . . zero seconds . . . west."

I look away from him, turning my attention to Bella and wrapping my hands around her head. "We need to get ready to go," I whisper to her. "Are you okay?"

She nods, pulling in a deep breath and closing her eyes for a second before she rises away from me so I can stand with Emmett.

"Our bags are all packed," I tell him, pointing to the pile in the corner.

He doesn't hesitate, grabbing them all easily to carry them outside.

"The next safe house is over seven hours away," Jasper says as soon as Emmett's gone. "Perry, Iowa. If we leave now, we'll be there before nine o'clock if we have to stop for gas and food. Is there anything here we can take with us so we won't have to come back?"

I have to think for a minute, remembering the guns and ammunition stowed even lower into the ground than we're standing right now.

"There's extra weapons and ammo under the table," I tell him. "I don't know how much of it you want to take, but we'll need a stash in case they find us."

He nods me over, and together, we move the table to open the heavy steel door in the floor beneath it.

"I'll get this," he says. "You get the map and send Emmett down here for a few of these. Then we're leaving."

Slowly, I gather up the map and then Bella, leaving the basement to meet Emmett as he comes in through the back door. Silently, I nod for him to go back downstairs, and he acknowledges me with a nod of his own while Bella and I step outside to find a black Mercedes SUV parked where Siobhan's own vehicle had been parked just a few hours earlier. I don't say anything to Bella, guiding her to the back seat and climbing in with her at my side. She doesn't speak, wrapping her arms around me and laying her head back on my shoulder.

Even after what we just did, I have to stay as objective as possible, and though I really just want to close her up inside me where I know she'll be safe, I have to let my training guide me now, especially with my instincts shifting in allegiance to protecting her no matter what it entails.

Jasper and Emmett come out of the house with three bags filled with what I can only guess are enough weapons and ammunition to make Quantico look like a McDonald's. They pack all of it in the back of the SUV, and while Emmett climbs into the back seat with me and Bella, Jasper slides into the driver's seat. He doesn't say anything to me or Emmett, pulling out of the back yard and then onto the street.

Two and a half hours after we're on the road, Siobhan calls me. Well, she leaves a voicemail on my new phone and tells me she can't stop in Wausau because she thinks someone is following her. This worries me, especially when I try to call her back and she doesn't pick up. I can't call my father, so I send her a text telling her not to speed so she won't catch the attention of the cops.

Knowing Siobhan, this very well may make her do the exact opposite of what I tell her.

When we make it to St. Paul, I make Jasper pull into a gas station so I can call Siobhan myself.

"We don't have time for this," he grumbles.

"We're making time," I tell him, just as I did with Siobhan.

At first, she doesn't answer, but I call her twice more so she'll know how serious I am. After the fourth ring on the third call, she finally picks up.

"What in the bloody fucking hell do you want?" she barks as soon as she answers.

"Where are you?" I demand.

"Two hours passed the midway point. Where are you? Did Jasper and Emmett come? Are you safe?"

While sitting in the back seat with Bella still in my arms, I glance at Emmett and Jasper. "We're safe," I whisper. "Jasper and Emmett picked us up and took enough weapons to make their own private Mexican Standoff. We're getting to the next location. Why do you think someone's following you?"

"Women's intuition," she says very seriously.

Even though I'm on the phone with her, I smirk. "Be serious," I say. "This isn't a time to joke around."

She huffs, sounding a little miffed. "Who's joking?"

Slowly, I nudge Bella away and climb out of the SUV. I don't like the way she sounds, and if it kills her, I'm going to get an actual answer out of her.

"Listen to me," I plead. "I didn't send you off on your own so you could get killed. You've been by yourself for nearly six hours. I know you're almost there, but if someone is following you, then you need to call my father."

"I don't actually think that's a good idea," she says.

I glance at the SUV, seeing Jasper and Emmett watching me through the windows. "Why is that?" I ask her.

"Because now I'm really sure someone's following me."

I can't hide my anger despite being on the phone. "Tell me what you're seeing," I demand.

She hesitates for a few seconds but then speaks. "Uh, black SUV just like mine weaving in and out of traffic just like me. Same speed, less than two hundred meters back."

"Stay calm," I tell her. "If you overreact, he'll know it's you. How fast are you going?"

"Are you kidding me? It's mid-afternoon traffic, and I think everyone's on their way home or something. There's trailers and cars all over the place. I'm doing good not to bust eighty trying to follow the flow of traffic."

"Shit," I huff.

"Yeah," she gripes.

"Is there an off-ramp nearby?"

"Not for another few miles. And if I pull off, he'll follow me. I know it."

I don't have to think about what she needs to do. "You need another car," I say. "We should've gotten another one before you left."

She doesn't respond for a minute, and Jasper gets out of the driver's seat to step around to where I'm pacing.

"I think I can get off now," she says just as Jasper steps in front of me. "I gotta call you back."

"No, don't — "

She hangs up before I can stop her, and I huff loudly, lifting my eyes to Jasper.

"We can't stay here much longer," he tells me. "If she knows what she's doing, then she'll call you when she's safe."

I can't argue with him, looking into the SUV and seeing Bella as she watches me. Slowly, I follow him so we can get back inside the car and get back on the road. I don't want to move from where we are until I know for sure that Siobhan is okay, but I know we can't stay immobile for too long.

"Is everything okay?" Bella asks as Jasper pulls back onto the freeway to get out of St. Paul.

I glance at Emmett and then Jasper, holding her closer. "I hope so," I whisper.

The only problem with that is I don't think Siobhan really knows what she's doing.

None of us do.

Jasper barely stops to eat, pulling through a fast food restaurant around the state border of Minnesota probably two hours from the safe house.

My phone rings before I can get started eating my food, and I answer without thinking.

"Siobhan, where are you now?" I demand.

"Oh, she can't answer you right now. But I will."

Riley's voice sets my whole world in a tailspin, and I yell at Jasper. "Pull over!"

He doesn't hesitate, screeching to a halt on the side of the interstate and barely coming to a stop before I shove the door beside me open to be on the shoulder.

"Don't hurt her," I yell into the phone.

"It's a little late for that, Cullen," he says all calm-like in a way that makes my pulse speed up instantly. "She's gonna tell me where you're going, and then I'm gonna do to her what Aro will do to you."

"She doesn't know where I'm going! And this isn't about her. If you weren't such a goddamn tool, you'd know what Aro asked me to do was wrong. You don't have to do what he tells you. You have a brain for a fucking reason!"

He laughs, and my skin crawls so badly that I almost drop to my knees. "You really have lost it," he says. "And the fact that you're on the run is conclusive enough to interrogate anyone who's helping you. When I find you and the girl, I'm going to make you watch me while I kill her. Right now, I've got a traitor to question."

"Ed!" Siobhan screams from the background. "Just go! I'll be fine! Just — "

The line goes dead, and I'm actually very glad that I haven't eaten yet because now I'm so fucking sick to my stomach that I couldn't eat even if I tried.

Jasper gets out of the driver's seat and steps to my side as I stand there leaned over my legs with my phone clutched in my hand.

"We can't stay here," he says.

"Just give me a goddamn fucking minute, all right?" I shout. Then I sigh softly and rise to face him. "Riley found Siobhan. He has her now. Somewhere between Wausau and Chicago."

Though this doesn't seem to affect him on the surface, he glances around and then steps closer, lowering his voice. "Aro is recording our phone calls now. But we might be able to get a message to one of the sub stations between those locations to do a sweep of the area. Right now, we need to get to the safe house and get the two of you out of the open."

"I'm not abandoning her," I growl. "She wouldn't be in this situation right now if it weren't for me! None of you would be doing any of this right now if it weren't for me. No one else is gonna die. Not because of me."

His calmness unnerves me. "We're not abandoning her," he says quietly. "But we're two hours away from the safe house, and we'll be lucky to get there now that Riley has the phone she just used to call you earlier. In fact you should probably throw the damn thing away now, because next time, they'll do a trace on it."

I can't argue with him on that. The idea might have been a good one this morning, but now, keeping this phone is stupid.

But if I get rid of it, I'll have no way of knowing what happens to her. Riley could kill her, and I would never know about it until they dug her body up from a shallow grave in the middle of nowhere, which based on what she said was exactly where she happened to be when he caught up to her.

"Edward," Jasper says. "We have to go."

Disregarding his warning about the phone, I slip it back into my pocket and climb back into the back seat with Bella and Emmett. Neither of them say anything, and I don't either, buckling my seat belt to relax as much as I can even though I know it will be damn near impossible at this point.

"If anything happens to her," I say once we're on the road again, "I swear I will hunt Aro down and kill him myself. I will rip his heart out while it still beats and feed it to him. Maybe then, he'll know what it means to actually have one."

Neither Jasper nor Emmett say anything in response, and while I'm sitting there next to Bella, I glance out the window to watch the foliage as it flies by the car.

"And I want to find Vladimir." They both look at me, but I keep going. "He's the only one who can help me, and now that Aro has everyone looking for me, Vladimir will want the information I have. It's the only way I can make this worth everything it's already cost the people involved."

Still, they say nothing, but they know I'm serious.

I'm very serious. And it's scaring the fucking shit out of me.

* * *

**Okay, here's the thing. I now have quite a few stories going at the same time, and this is my dilemma. Do I continue burning the candle at both ends and have it cost me the story in some form or fashion?**

**I have to make a decision right now to slow down and gather the story back up so I know exactly what to do next, and while I have ideas and notes, the rest of the story is so up in the air. I'm human, and this is one of my flaws.  
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**I hope you'll all stay tuned in because I completely intend to finish this story. I know a lot of authors say that and then disappear for months. I'm guilty of it myself.  
**

**I will continue working on this story and others, possibly only working on one until it's finished and then another and then another until they're all finished, and maybe then I'll post a new story.  
**

**Until then, I hope you'll tell me what you think of this chapter.  
**

**Later!  
**


	17. Laying Low & Going Crazy

******I know, I know. It's been a very long time since I updated, especially when you consider how I was updating before, but I've been working on this the whole time. I didn't want to force it, and coming up with the new stuff took time.**

**Anyway, here we are. There's a little bit of info in this one, and there's a little intimate time in it too. The rating still applies here with language and adult situations. Nobody under 18 needs to have a look, especially if we're being official.  
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**More stuff at the bottom.  
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**Laying Low & Going Crazy**

I'm completely inconsolable, and it's pissing me off. A lot.

We made it to the safe house almost three hours ago, and I've made it perfectly clear that I want to be left alone. Emmett and Jasper have made themselves busy fortifying the house, and I've been pacing the master bedroom the entire time.

How could I have been so stupid to let Siobhan go off on her own?

She wasn't equipped to deal with Riley, and now I know he's doing everything in his power to rip her apart from the inside out. His torture is a special brand, the kind that is only used when an agent of Aro's goes off the grid and defects. We're all trained in basic interrogation techniques to get answers when our targets are difficult to find, but Riley is different. It's why he was placed in a remote part of the country.

I also believe he was told to keep an eye out for me in case I defected.

Well, now I have, and Siobhan is currently being tortured for information she doesn't have.

Jasper and Emmett don't really even know what I know, and I can't blame them for doing what my father told them.

They were there to get me and Bella.

To them, Siobhan's capture was just an unlucky side effect.

To me, it's much more serious than that.

She was with me to help me, and now because of that, she's been left in the hands of a psychotic megalomaniac. I know he'll do whatever he has to so she'll talk.

Jasper thinks he can contact one of the substations and send men in to get her. But it's been hours, and he hasn't done anything — not anything that I've seen.

The door to the room opens and closes, and Jasper's voice followed.

"You need to calm down," he tells me. "You're frightening your friend."

My thoughts shift to Bella, and I realize that I didn't do anything to make sure she was all right upon our arrival here. After what we did, this makes me feel horrible, but at least she's safe for now. That's more than I can say for a woman I've worked with for three years.

"I just called Benjamin and Tia," Jasper says after a minute. "They're getting a team together to find Siobhan. It was a little difficult, and I had to rewire our router to keep Aro's men from finding us, but it worked. They'll have her by morning."

This should make me feel a little better, but it doesn't.

All this means is that Riley will have plenty of time to extract the last precious piece of information from Siobhan before he kills her.

"She wouldn't be in this situation right now if it weren't for me," I grumble, my head hung shamefully.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Edward," he says, trying to console me needlessly. "You followed your instincts. Finally."

This word strikes me, and I stop pacing, turning to face him. "Finally?" I repeat, stepping closer to him. "Exactly what the fuck is that supposed to mean? Because my father has been sending you out on assignments just like Aro has. How are you so much better than I am?"

He doesn't back down, taller than me and much calmer than I could ever hope to be. "I stopped killing nearly two years ago," he informs me. "And I stopped taking Aro's assignments when Carlisle assigned me to the Southern Extension office in Texas. So did Emmett. Carlisle requested for Aro to put you in an office over a year ago, but Aro refused. He said you were tracking the Romanians and couldn't be taken off the assignment to eliminate them. When it was reported that Irina was killed, we knew it was just a matter of time before Aro did something like this."

"Like what?" I demand.

"He was suspicious of you, Edward," Jasper says of Aro. "He has been for a while now. And if you know he set you up, then you know this assignment wasn't for you to kill Charlie Swan. The assignment was do what was expected of you. Edward, what has Aro always expected of you?"

I huff softly, turning away from him. "To show no mercy to his enemies and his targets."

"Aro wanted you to be cold, and he wanted you to stay at a distance," Jasper continues. "And he was never able to succeed with you because of how you were raised. That's why he gave you this assignment. And you knew that when you looked at that girl. You knew it was wrong, and you refused to complete it. And that's why he partnered you with James."

I exhale heavily, knowing he's right. "Because James was the complete opposite of me."

"And now James is dead. We're trying to get this girl to safety, and now you want us to find Vladimir. Forgive me for saying, but this is not what any of us were trained to do. I'm doing everything I can to find Siobhan, but you need to stay calm. Like I said, you're frightening her by barricading yourself in this room. She needs reassurance that we're doing everything we know to do, and you're the only one of us who can do that. We have time. Just don't get too carried away."

He turns to leave, but I call him back.

"Do you talk like that about my sister?" I ask though I'm smiling a little.

He doesn't answer me, stepping out of the room after only being there for a few minutes.

I step away from the middle of the room to the balcony outside, and I sit down in a chair just as another set of feet step into the room.

There's no need to look back because I know it's Bella. Her hesitant steps toward me tell me she's worried, and when she doesn't say anything to me as she steps onto the balcony, I know she's upset. I glance up at her to see her watching me, and I give in easily, reaching for her hand and allowing her to sit in the chair with me.

"What are we supposed to do now?" she asks softly.

I shake my head. "Nothing. We're safe for right now."

"When can I see my parents again?"

I sit up in front of her, cupping her face in my hands. "It may still be a while. We have to find Vladimir, but it won't be easy. He's elusive and paranoid, and the only way we'll take Aro down is if we find him and tell him what I have."

She wraps her hands around my wrists. "And what is that?"

"You," I say simply, but then I add, "or more specifically, a witness. I have three in fact, and it's because I saved all of you that Vladimir will want me alive. I'm sure he'll do whatever he has to so Aro doesn't kill me or anyone else ever again. And then the real problems start."

"What problems are those?" she whispers, inching closer to me until mere centimeters separate us.

"Vladimir is worse than Aro when it comes to power," I whisper as I attempt to keep a little space between us. "If we take one down, the other has to go too. That means someone will have to pick up their mess."

The tip of her nose touches mine, and gently, our lips make contact before she whispers again.

"Who will do that?"

I don't want to even think about it right now. At this moment right here, she's all I can think about.

But I think that's how Jasper wanted it.

I'm useless to him as high-strung as I am right now.

Without answering her, I move in closer to kiss her as softly as I can even though she doesn't let that last. In an instant, she moves over to straddle me the way she did not so long ago, and the moment she wraps her arms around me and grinds her hips into mine, I'm nearly lost.

Her tongue fights with mine for control, and her fingers grasp onto my shirt, pleading silently for it to be gone. I give in again, pulling it over my head and then proceeding to unbutton her shirt.

She's still not wearing a bra, and I take advantage, latching onto one nipple and then the other. Little whimpers fall from her lips, followed by soft moans, and it spurs me on, along with my cock as it hardens in my pants. It's only been half a day since we were together.

Will she be healed enough for us to do it again?

Her fingers do the answering for me as she seeks out my zipper, but I stop her before too much time passes, whispering against her lips.

"Not out here," I plead. "It's too open."

She doesn't say anything, wrapping her arms around me and prompting me to stand up with her in my arms. Slowly, I step into the bedroom and carry her to the bed, and she holds on for dear life, threading her fingers through my hair and stroking the back of my neck. I don't have time to shiver, laying her back and then unbuttoning her jeans.

The thong she was wearing before reappears as her jeans are yanked off, and she grins up at me without saying anything.

I pause for a moment, pressing my hands to the bed beside her head. "What are you thinking about?" I whisper.

She still doesn't speak, reaching for me and pulling me to her so that my hips are settled between hers. Again, she wraps her arms around me and leans up to kiss me, saying everything she needs to instantly.

I never believed it would be possible, but with her in my arms, I think I feel what Jasper probably feels for my sister. I think I feel what I know Emmett feels for Rosalie. And it's scares the hell out of me.

She's unbuttoning my pants and pushing the zipper down before I have a chance to completely lose it, and instead, I get lost in her coaxing. I get lost in her movements as she wraps her hand around my cock and starts stroking me.

Chills lightning through my body from the nape of my neck to my spine and beyond, and when her thumb grazes over my slit, another guttural utterance escapes my lips.

And finally, she whispers. "I love when you do that," she teases, still stroking and then cupping my balls. "I love making you hard."

Her words have the desired effect on me as I attack her mouth and thrust my tongue inside. She moans, and her hand on my cock falters a little. While we're in this position, I reach between us and slip my hand into her thong, finding her wet and whispering to her.

"I love making you wet," I tease back.

She grins and lifts her foot, pushing my pants further down until they're gathered around my ankles. I have to move one way and then another to be naked, and she reaches around to grab my ass.

"Are you okay?" I whisper seriously. "You're not still sore?"

Bella shakes her head and pulls me closer, still stroking me and urging me to stroke her again. She's hot and writhing, and it feels different from before, which I guess it should since she's no longer hesitant or worried. I don't think it's possible for her to know exactly what she's doing after just once, but it's different.

I'm still afraid of going too fast, and I take my time with her, stroking her wet folds and finding her entrance as it throbs for my touch. Without thinking, I tug on her underwear, ripping them off and scooting even closer to her until the underside of my cock is pressed up against her pussy.

"Edward," she cries, still grasping onto my ass cheek and rocking her hips to increase the friction between us.

Before I give her what she wants — what it's obvious she needs — I pull back and lower my tongue to her breasts, rubbing one with my palm and feeling her nipple taut while I lick and suck on the other. She responds almost exactly as she did before, arching up into me and allowing my tip to touch hers.

"Oh, God, please."

Instead of folding, I continue on down her body, passing over her stomach and her navel which I explore again thoroughly with my tongue before pressing my lips to the skin just above her pubic hair. For a moment, I lift my eyes to her, finding her panting and biting her lip, but there's also a vulnerability in her eyes still. I know she needs me in this moment, and I plan on giving her all of that and more.

Tenderly, I extend my tongue to lick her skin, laying her legs over my shoulders and then lowering my mouth to lay it over her pussy. She's slick under my tongue and scorching hot, but I lave my tongue over her languidly. I want her to feel every bit of what I'm feeling, and when we're finished, I want to be able to feel every bit of what she's feeling. For a few seconds, I hover over her clit and close my lips around it, allowing her to squirm and rake her fingers through my hair. She tugs hard a couple of times, but I welcome it.

I've been numb for too many years. This moment right here is when I start to feel everything around me, starting with her.

"Edward," she moans, stroking the side of my face and scraping her fingernails along my scalp. "I need you."

I double my efforts, lifting my finger to her entrance and stroking for several seconds before adding a second and a third. She rises up to her elbows, and I lift my eyes to hers, watching her come apart beneath my tongue.

"Oh! Yes!"

The instant she comes mirrors the moment from earlier, and I linger around her thighs as she starts to come down, still holding my head and still breathing hard. After a few minutes, I kiss the inside of her thighs before rising up and crawling over her slowly.

She grins as soon as I'm above her, and she resumes her stroking of my cock while I'm on my hands and knees above her.

"It's always like this," she whispers, caressing me and squeezing my balls all while pulling me closer to her. "I always want it to be like this. Please, Edward."

I lean my hips into hers, rocking against her as she uses me to stroke her slick folds. With her so close, I can do nothing to deny her anything.

She rises up to kiss me, pulling me closer and then whispering again. "I still want to be on top."

Her boldness causes a smile to spread over my face, and without saying anything, we switch positions so she's above me. She sits on my legs, still stroking me and sliding her lips along my jaw to my neck.

Heat from my shoulders threatens to envelope my chest and then my belly, and I have to force my eyes open to watch Bella as she scoots a little closer and lines us up so that my throbbing tip is aligned with her entrance. A new set of chills assails my body the instant she lowers herself onto me, and instantly, I'm completely seated.

This time feels different from before, and at first, it's like she doesn't know what to do.

"How 'bout we compromise?" I whisper to her, wrapping my arms around her and scooting back onto the bed to lay down on my side so she's in front of me.

I don't mean to pin her down, but it doesn't seem to bother her as I begin moving against her, thrusting, kissing, rubbing every inch of her skin I can reach. Gently, I grab her ass and pull her against me, wanting to do whatever I can to get us both back to where we were before Jasper and Emmett showed up.

We weren't safe, but she was calm and playful. It's a side of her I never want her to lose, not because of me, not because of this.

She hooks her leg around mine and moves her hips against me, urging me to go a little faster and wrapping her hands around my shoulders as I increase the tempo of my hips.

"You're so tight," I whisper against her lips. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Her response is to kiss me, and she seems to understand what she wants, pushing me to my back without breaking contact to sit on top of me.

Suddenly, she's moving on her own above me, and as I watch her, I'm stunned to realize that this feels completely different from when I was with Kate. I don't know how this is possible, but I can't think about anything beyond the beautiful girl moving over me and making me feel these new feelings.

After less than a minute, I sit up in front of her, holding her against me but still allowing her to move however she wants. I can feel her clenching around me, and it sends a shockwave through me so fast that I only feel my release because she cries out hers.

It takes her a few more movements to completely still in my arms, and she lays her head against my shoulder while squeezing the other one as tightly as she can. Then she smiles.

"I can't believe I never — I mean . . . wow."

I laugh softly and hold her tighter against me.

"Promise me you'll never leave me alone," she whispers.

The seriousness in her voice startles me, and I can't speak for several seconds, wondering exactly what I'm supposed to say.

Is it even fair that we're sitting here like this with everything that's going on?

"Edward, please," she says. "If you're with me then I know I'm safe. I need you to stay with me."

Gently, I lay my hands over her head and press my forehead to hers. "I'll stay with you," I whisper against her lips, adding, "for as long as I can. I swear. But there will be a time when I have to go to them alone, and I can't put you in their sights. I'm trying to avoid that, remember?"

She holds onto me tighter and wraps her hand around my head. "Promise me you'll be safe."

To that, I have no problem. "I promise."

After a few minutes, I have enough thought to move us back and then under the comforter we just had sex on top of. We're not doing very good with sheets just yet.

Bella falls asleep in my arms even though I don't sleep at all.

I'm too busy thinking of what I'm going to do next.

* * *

**Now, that wasn't too difficult was it? And also, my updating schedule will be revised a little.**

**We'll see you in two weeks, so tell me what you think, and we'll find out what's going on with Siobhan next time.  
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**Have a great day!  
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	18. The Plan Ahead

******I completely planned on doing this yesterday morning, but I've been on babysitter duty. This chapter is just a little longer than usual, but you'd be amazed how that happens. You're typing really important stuff, and it just gets away from you.  
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**I hope you all like this, and there's warnings for adult stuff here. Don't say I didn't warn you.  
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**I don't own Twilight, but I've got an eye on the next episode of Once Upon A Time. (I know, wrong fandom.)  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

**The Plan Ahead**

Because I can't sleep, and because I don't want Bella to worry the way I'm worrying, I leave bed probably two hours after she falls asleep. It's two in the morning, but I know Jasper and Emmett are both awake. I can hear them both tinkering around in the kitchen downstairs, and now is as good a time as any to start planning.

I don't bother with actual clothes, finding a pair of jogging pants and a t-shirt to put on before I step out into the hallway leaving the door cracked in case Bella wakes and comes to find me. The rest of the house is dimly lit, and I make my way down to the first floor where only lamps and the lights above the bar island of the kitchen are lit up. The map is laid out on the coffee table, and Jasper has already marked our current location along with a few others I didn't tell him about. I can only guess my father told him about those, but I don't know why.

Hushed voices flow from the kitchen, and I decide that's where Emmett and Jasper are congregating, and I don't hesitate, quietly stepping inside to discover them hovered in front of a laptop with two cups of coffee made.

"You two are still louder than the nearest train station," I tell them, moving to the coffee pot to pour my own cup and then stepping to the refrigerator to get the creamer. "I can hear you both upstairs with the door closed."

Emmett is the first one to comment on my late appearance. "She didn't wear you out, I see," he grins. "I thought for sure you would've been down all night."

Annoyed, I press my lips together and move to the other side of the bar with my coffee to sit up on a stool. After the first long, hot sip of caffeine, I lean over with my arms folded on the counter. "What do you have so far?" I ask, ignoring Emmett completely.

Jasper glances at Emmett before speaking. "The whole town's clean," he says. "All our trackers are still in place, and none of the ID markers from Aro's vehicles have tripped them. So right now, we're good. Are you sure you're okay to do this? You were kind of losing it earlier."

Gently, I run my hands over my face, fully awake but tired from the immensely long day I've had. "I'm fine," I say, raking my fingers through my hair and finally rubbing the back of my neck. "We need to find Vladimir, and we need to do it now. So which one of you can do that and not tease me about Bella at the same time?"

"Well, Emmett's our best intel agent," Jasper says. "So whether he teases you or not, he's your best shot. But go into the living room. The less clustered together we are, the easier it'll be to move out if something happens."

I don't say anything to Emmett, rising with my coffee and stepping out of the kitchen to make my way to the living room.

This house is laid out like most of our safe houses, with congregating areas on the first floor which include a living room area for gathering intel, a kitchen for doing reconnaissance and a dining room to assess weapons and striking points. The second and sometimes third floors are designed to have bedrooms and sitting areas for interrogations and so guards can takes shifts, and an attic or basement is used for supplies and panic rooms. My mother's family house, which is just outside Aro's territory, and this house, which is in a town technically run by my father, had to be modified a little to take our equipment. The living room is the one place where all our information will stay until we leave.

Right now, I just want to sit down.

"You know, Cullen," Emmett says from behind me as he follows me, "I don't think I've ever seen you so wigged out by a girl. And I've known you a lot longer than you've been firing a gun. Talk to me."

I glance back at him without saying anything, knowing he's serious but also not in the mood to have a heart-to-heart with a man who consistently beds Rosalie every time he sees her. How in God's name can I talk to him without getting a lot of sexual innuendo in everything he says back?

"We have work to do," I tell him, sitting on the couch in front of the coffee table where the map is laid out. "Tell me what you have on Vladimir."

Relenting, he slips seamlessly into his official mode, which isn't that different from his unofficial mode. "Based on what you had on Stefan before he was killed, Vladimir will have gone into hiding. It's only been six days, but that's plenty of time for him to disappear. I put spotters out as soon as Carlisle sent us to get you and Bella. I haven't heard anything yet, but we can always guess."

I have to take this as being as good as it's going to get for the moment, but it still irritates me. "Vladimir is a ghost," I say quietly, rubbing my eyes and the pinching the bridge of my nose. "He's been hiding and running for four years while Stefan ran things in Bucharest. They both knew Aro would get to them, and they made it so that it didn't matter which one of them died first. Now that Stefan is dead, Vladimir is probably coordinating the business while he's on the move." I pause, remembering where I killed Stefan and knowing how far away it was from the Romanian headquarters. "We were twenty-four hours from Moscow when I took out Stefan. The area's too big to start from scratch."

"Moscow?" Emmett repeats, and I nod. He smiles. "Then we don't have to start from scratch. Because I can find all his points of operation within two thousand kilometers from Moscow. Off the top of my head, I can name at least seven places right now."

This astonishes me a little since I didn't think anyone could do anything like that outside Aro's main building in Volterra. "How is that possible?"

His smile widens. "You're looking at Demetri's understudy, my man. And he taught me how to find anything and anyone before Carlisle had me moved to the Midwest office four years ago. Give me an hour, and I'll have it narrowed down to five locations."

I'm amused by his enthusiasm, offering my little piece of information. "Well, I can probably narrow it down a little right now," I say, "because we were near Stefan's safe house in Ukhta when I killed him. It's 1,700 miles from Moscow."

Immediately, Emmett takes out his own tablet, a reinforced version of the technology only available to the military, and I watch while he punches in the information I gave him and uses a stylus to mark other points on the relief map he has pulled up on the screen.

"Well, Moscow for sure," he says after a few minutes. "But no way would he actually stay there more than a day. There are three safe houses outside the thousand kilo mark, and he has offices in Perm, Volgograd and Kirov. If you found Stefan near Ukhta, then that one is out. It's probably even been burned to the ground by now. So that leaves his three offices and two safe houses."

"How do you know all of that?" I ask, damn near demanding an explanation as to how he can come up with those in less than ten minutes when it took me three months to pinpoint Stefan's location.

He turns to tablet to me and points to the Russian city of Moscow as it's highlighted on the screen. "When Demetri was training me, he told me that all of the Romanian Wi-Fi signals have a similar frequency, and they're all connected in the event that Vladimir and Stefan have to operate from a motorcade. Plus, they're more sophisticated than anything local, so it's easy to identify from others in the area that are still on low-end broadband. Moscow is the hub in Russia, and that's where their main operations are sent from. But they have offices all over the region for their agents to run intel and interrogation.

"It took me about six months to pull together enough of my own skills so I could do this without Demetri breathing down my neck, and I sent all of it to Carlisle. He was building his own Ops Center using an old building in Chicago, and Jasper and I were his two first choices to help run it. The first thing I did when I got to Chicago," he pauses and smiles, "other than finding Rosalie and having my way with her, was piece together every bit of intel I had hoarded on Stefan and Vladimir. It took me a long time to put this on a map. I had to create a program that would compile it over the years and have it at my fingertips with just a location starter."

"Moscow," I reiterate, and he nods.

The information he's relayed has me in overload, and I push the tablet away as my head starts to pound steadily.

"How much sleep have you gotten in the last twenty-four hours?" he asks a little less seriously. "You look like shit."

"Thanks," I huff, rubbing my temples and squeezing my eyes shut.

"I was, um, sorry to hear about Kate," he says gently. "I heard she was pissed when she found out about Irina. Rose told me when the report came back from Volterra."

I can't even look at him when I speak. "I really _don't_ want to talk about Kate," I say clenching my teeth. "I didn't want to talk to Siobhan about it, and I don't want to talk to you. She's dead because of me. And I swear to God, I'm gonna make Aro pay for it."

"I'm not your enemy on this, Ed," he continues. "If someone did that to Rose, I'd probably gut them like a fucking pig and hang them up by their ankles while I castrated them. I'm just saying I'm sorry. I know she helped you. And we'll get Siobhan back before Riley does any serious damage. She's strong."

Slowly, I give in to the soreness of my shoulders and the grumbling in my stomach, sitting back against the couch and crossing my legs Indian style in front of me.

"Shit, man, you must be starving," Emmett says, standing up from my side. "Let me find you some food. Don't move."

He leaves the living room then, and once I'm alone, there's nothing stopping my brain from slipping over every piece of information running through it.

I keep thinking about Aro and everything he's doing to find me. A deep-rooted part of me knows he'll find me sooner rather than later, and I'm thinking everything I can to prolong it as much as possible. All I know about Stefan and Vladimir surges ahead of that, and I realize exactly how difficult it will be to locate the elusive Romanian now that his brother's dead. And then my mind inevitably finds its way back to Irina and Kate.

There were only one or two occasions that I even met Irina, and I only know a few things about her, which is considerably less than what I know of her sisters. Of the three of them, she was the one who stuck to her heritage the most. With her parents both Orthodox Catholics and with ancestors from Old Russia, Irina was the only one of her sisters to stay near her home in St. Petersberg when Kate and Tanya relocated in Volterra. Irina was the only one to maintain her Russian, and when Aro gave her assignments, it was almost always reconnaissance on Romanian agents. It was odd, but most of her posts were in Russia, so I've never thought of them until now.

A question keeps repeating in my head.

Why would Aro send Irina after Romanian agents? What would his purpose be?

I'm usually sent after defectors and anyone who betrays Aro — or I was — but it was rare for him to send me after any of Stefan or Vladimir's men. It wasn't until some of his best agents lost Stefan that he put me on the trail, and that was only after I'd proven to him that I was much better at tracking than nearly everyone else. No one was better than Demetri. Or so I thought.

Now that I'm going over and over it, there's only one reason why he would send a woman into enemy territory.

Infiltration.

But that backfired on him when Irina defected.

Or did she?

Did she really defect? Was she really even working for Aro when she was found? Could I have saved her?

I have so many questions and no fucking answers, and that pisses me off more than anything else ever has.

I don't know how long I sit there fermenting, but soon the smell of food reaches my senses. Eggs and maybe bacon scents fill the air, and then I can hear Emmett whistling from the kitchen. Spices follow the main scents, and the oven buzzer goes off, taking my attention from my thoughts.

What the hell is he cooking?

Several more minutes pass, and he mills around the kitchen opening cabinets and making more noise than a monkey with a hand gun before he emerges with two plates on one arm and two tall mugs threaded through the fingers of his other hand.

"Onion, green pepper, sausage and cheese omelets, bacon and buttermilk biscuits with orange juice," he announces, moving to my side to place everything on the coffee table gently. "Nobody should ever eat alone, so I figured I'd make some for myself."

My mouth is literally watering as I take my plate and fork to start eating, and as soon as the first bite hits my tongue, I remember the last time I ate, which was for breakfast the previous morning with Siobhan and Bella.

Half my omelet is gone before Emmett speaks.

"You know what you really look like?" he says, and I can tell by his tone that the teasing is about to commence. "You look like a man who's had some of the best sex in his life in the last twelve hours."

I have to fight my will to talk back, sipping my orange juice and nibbling on my bacon.

"I looked like that right after Rose and I had our three-month anniversary," he continues, very much aware of the fact that what he's doing makes me uncomfortable. "And oh, fuck, was it some of the best sex. Rose will kill me when she finds out I'm talking about our sex life, but shit, I have to talk to somebody. Jasper's not exactly the talkative type, you know. Especially now that he's with Alice. I can respect that, but really."

I still don't say anything, and he leans closer, whispering.

"When all this is over, I definitely see the two of you on some isolated beach somewhere, having lots of sex and walking around naked. I see the way she looks at you, Ed. She might have just met you, but the connection there is a lot stronger than it should be. You saved her life, man. You saved her parents. You deserve this."

That makes me laugh, but it's not because I think he's being funny.

"Seriously?" I say. "That's your rationalization of all of this? I did my good deed, and now I get my reward." Then I laugh again, shaking my head and looking up to see Bella at the foot of the stairs in a t-shirt.

Emmett sees her too but doesn't say anything, standing up to leave the room and leaving his plate on the coffee table.

Bella doesn't move until I put my food away and reach for her, but she hesitates for a minute before stepping off the bottom stair to make her way to me. She stops beside me and then straddles my lap with her head on my shoulder.

"I woke up, and you were gone," she whispers, wrapping her arms around me and squeezing me tightly.

Without saying anything, I press my cheek to her forehead, rubbing her back from her shoulders to her waist and realizing she's not wearing underwear. Her shirt is long enough to cover her, but this still makes me nervous.

"You need to sleep," I say to her, lifting my hand to her head and gently stroking her hair.

"So do you," she replies.

I don't say anything to that, glancing back toward the kitchen where Emmett disappeared and nudging Bella back to cup her face in my hands. "Are you hungry?" I ask softly.

She nods, and I reach around her for my food to set it on the couch next to us. Slowly, we begin to eat, and then she starts talking.

"What do we do now?" she asks.

I shake my head. "Nothing right now. Jasper's waiting to hear about Siobhan, and Emmett and I were going over intel on Vladimir. You need to be sleeping."

She takes my fork from me and stabs into a piece of egg before lifting it to my lips. I take it with a grin on my lips and watch as she eats her own bite before speaking again. "What happens when you find him?"

To that, I sigh. "More than likely, we'll negotiate for his protection. He'll want all the information I have on Aro, and he'll know how to get it from me." I stop her from taking another bite, making her look at me straight on. "Bella, you know I won't let anyone hurt you, don't you?"

She nods.

"And you know that I'll do whatever it takes to make you safe, even if it means having Emmett and Jasper take you somewhere safe if I have to give myself up. Right?"

Her frown is more pronounced than it has been, but still, she nods.

Gently, I lay my forehead against hers. "I need you to be safe, Bella," I whisper. "And you need to know that I'm feeling something for you that I've never felt in my life. Not even before I started training for Aro. I was your age then, and I don't think I'd ever felt this way for anyone. I knew Kate for eight years, and I didn't realize how I felt for her until three days ago when I lost her. I can't lose you before I figure all of this out. So, please listen to me and be safe. Please."

She puts her arms around my shoulders again, pressing her chest to mine. "I'll be safe," she says, adding, "as long as you do the same."

Slowly, I lean my lips to hers, kissing her lightly before she takes it a little further and licks my bottom lip. For an instant, I forget about everything, kissing her with my complete attention and lowering my hands to her hips.

"I promise," I say between kisses, and again, I mean it just as much as I did before.

"Ahem!"

Jasper's deep utterance makes me stop with my lips barely touching hers, and Bella leans away so I can look at him.

"The team's leaving our sub station outside Chicago to sweep the area for Siobhan," he says, eyeing me and then Bella. "Edward, you really need to get some sleep. Emmett's going to take the first shift, and we're all safe right now. Both of you get back upstairs."

He leaves without waiting for me to move, and for a minute, I don't. But then Bella stands up away from me and reaches for my hand. I follow her slowly, and together, we leave the living room to return to the master bedroom. The moment we're inside the darkness again, she turns to me and rises to her toes to kiss me, but before it goes too far, I stop her.

"Can we just sleep?" I whisper, kissing her forehead and backing her up to the bed. "I'm exhausted, and if I'm going to keep you safe, then I need to sleep."

Bella doesn't argue, sitting back on the bed and allowing me to kneel in front of her. We lay down together, and she scoots as close to me as she can, wrapping her arms and legs around me. This time, sleep comes about as fast as I can relax, which with Bella sets in more quickly than it has in days, maybe months or even years.

I don't dream while I sleep, which is sort of new for me. But it also tells me that I was so fatigued that my mind couldn't work to form a dream right now even if it wanted to. I'm dead to the world for probably a few hours until something unexpected wakes me up.

There's a hand on my cock.

I open my eyes slowly, seeing Bella in front of me, but she's not looking at me. We're laying under the comforter, and it's warm. And she's stroking my cock.

"Bella," I whisper.

She lifts her fingers to my mouth. "Shh. Something's going on downstairs, and if we have to leave soon, I might not get to do this again."

Her fingers graze over my tip, and I groan softly before her words register.

"Something's happening downstairs?"

She leans in to kiss me, effectively taking my mind off everything else as her hand quickens over my shaft. Her body is close enough that I can lift my hands to her bottom and pull her closer, and her legs are already spread around my waist so that all I have to do is lift my thumbs to stroke her pussy.

Her soft moan is music to my ears, and within seconds, I'm slipping my fingers inside her. "You're wet again," I whisper to her, kissing her chin and then her jaw before I reach her neck.

A gentle laugh falls from her lips. "You're hard again," she breathes, moaning again and scooting up so that my tip is stroking hers.

"I've created a sex addict," I joke, rocking my hips and lifting my head to slant my mouth over hers.

"I just can't get enough of you," she says through another moan. "Edward, please."

She's still wearing her shirt, and I'm still in my shirt and jogging pants. But I don't care. Right now, the only part of her I care about touching is the tightest, slickest, hottest pussy I've ever touched. And it's true. She's so tight and slick and hot. Every time I'm near her, she literally sets my whole body on fire.

It takes only a slight, smooth movement for me to slide inside her, and the moan from her that follows is enough to bind me to her even though I now remember what she said about something happening downstairs. While we're laying in front of each other, her legs are wrapped around my waist and her feet are pressed against my ass.

"You're going to drive me crazy," I whisper, licking her tongue with mine and holding her against me as I move.

"Same here," she replies, grinning and threading her fingers through my hair.

Quick enough from when she started, I feel my gut tighten and then my balls as my orgasm builds, and I almost feel bad about not giving her one first. Before that thought can form in my head, I move my thumb to the apex of her legs to stroke her clitoris.

"Oh, God, you're so good at this," she whimpers, squeezing her eyes shut and biting her lip. "So good. I can't believe I never . . ."

Her words fade as I speed up, and her face contorts slightly.

I still can't believe that I'm doing this. Maybe Emmett is right. Maybe this is the best sex I've had in my life. That doesn't mean I like it when he teases me.

Bella presses her forehead against mine a second or two before she opens her eyes to look at me, and the coil in my belly releases instantly so that I'm almost slamming my pelvis up into hers. Knowing she still needs her own release, I keep moving and stroking her, kissing her and feeling her clench around me more as the seconds tick by.

"It feels good when you do that," I whisper to her.

She holds me tighter as her orgasm builds, and when she cries out with fists of my hair in her small hands, it's probably the best feeling I've ever had.

We're laying there, still coming down, when the door opens behind me.

"Edward," Jasper says, "you need to know this."

Slowly, I turn over, still in bed but propped on my elbow. "What is it?"

"They found Siobhan. She's alive. Barely. Benjamin and Tia found her just outside Rockford. She's on her way to Carlisle right now, and she'll probably be in the infirmary for a while."

Even though my brain is still kind of asleep, I know to ask one thing. "What about Riley?"

Jasper stands up a little straighter. "He's dead. Apparently, he went crazy when the team got there and got himself killed. They took out his tracker, and they transporting his body to Carlisle for an autopsy. It's possible he might have a microchip in his brain with more information on Aro. Carlisle knows we're safe, but I didn't tell him where we are in case Aro calls him."

More of my mind becomes aware, and I glance back at Bella before speaking again. "What about Bella's parents?"

"Jacob had to move them to a new safe house farther north, but they made it okay. I told him to tell them their daughter was safe, though I probably should have told them that you're already neck deep in her. I'm sure her father would love to learn that."

I know he's not teasing the way Emmett usually does, but I'm still not in the mood. "Jasper, I'm really not — "

"Relax," he says. "I just wanted to tell you about Siobhan. Emmett demanded that you get more sleep, and I'm inclined to agree with him. Maybe you should think about moving to another room, so both of you can get some sleep without getting involved."

Again, I don't know him as well as I know Emmett, so this kind of irritates me that he's giving me orders. "Thanks for the advice, but I know she's safe if I'm with her."

He doesn't say anything else, turning and leaving with the door still cracked open.

I can't move for a while after he leaves, and Bella scoots closer to me, kissing my shoulder through my shirt.

"She's alive, Edward," she says softly, wrapping her arms around me and pushing me back to the bed.

I quickly take her hands in mine, holding her closer and knowing I need to sleep.

After a while, I finally relax. And then I close my eyes.

Then I'm asleep.

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**So, this might be the last bit of private time Edward and Bella get for a while, because this crazy stuff is about to begin.**

**I've got the next several chapters planned, but I hate to admit that inspiration is coming a little harder right now. The next update is still scheduled for two weeks, but we'll see.  
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**Let me know what you think, and I'll be working my ass off to make the best story possible for my lovely readers.  
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**Have a great day!  
**


	19. Bits & Pieces

******Remember when I said all this crap was gonna start picking up? Well, it has, and this is just the beginning. Won't keep you long, because if you've been wanting to read this as much as I've been wanting to write it, then I'd want to get to it. **

**I don't own Twilight, but I think I'm developing a crush on a new Brit. Lucky me (hint at the sarcasm.)  
**

**Thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing. You guys are awesome.  
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**Bits & Pieces**

The sun is rising outside the balcony doors before I wake up to feel Bella still asleep behind me. I can't believe I slept so deep and so long, because it's the first time in a long time I've done it. The only problem is that I don't have time to enjoy it. There's too much to do and not enough time to do all of it.

This time, I don't plan on leaving Bella alone in bed. Her safety is my responsibility, and if I have her with me, then I know she's safe. So after laying in bed only a few minutes, I turn over to face her and wake her up from our little cocoon.

She looks so innocent as she sleeps. I hate everything that's happening, knowing it's chipping away at the tight hold she still has on her life. If there was anything I could do to make all of this stop right now, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But it's already gone too far for that.

Somehow, she senses that I'm awake, and when she opens her eyes to see me there, for a split second, I see everything we can have when all of this is over.

Peace. Quiet.

A future. A family.

I've never wanted those things before now. Not until I saw her.

But then the knowledge I'd feared was taking over appears in her eyes, and I know it's over.

The moment has passed.

It's probably for the best.

Who knows if I'll even survive this anyway?

"What time is it?" she asks softly.

"I'm not sure," I say shaking my head. "It's morning, and we can't stay here long."

The hope in her eyes fades a little, and I cup her face in my hands gently.

"I swear to you everything will be all right," I say softly. "No matter what I have to do, I'll make sure you're safe."

She wraps her hands around my arms and leans in until her forehead is pressed against mine. "I believe you," she whispers. "I'm just scared."

Slowly, I move over until I'm settled on top of her, and she easily wraps her arms and legs around me. Settling my forearms above her head, I lay there with her and caress her forehead in the few seconds it takes me to gather my thoughts.

"I wish I could tell you nothing bad will happen," I say quietly. "And I wish I could say that when this is over, you'll be able to go home. The truth is I don't know if that will ever be possible again, and I know that in the next forty-eight hours, someone's going to die. It might be Aro if I have anything to do with it, but it might be someone I care about. More than anything, I don't want that to be you. So if I have to leave you with Jasper and Emmett, I swear they'll keep you safe. I swear on my dying breath."

The last word leaves my mouth just as she leans forward to kiss me, and her delicate hands make quick work of removing my shirt. I have no reason to stop her anymore, and I make to move my hand up her shirt while readjusting my hips between hers when we're interrupted.

"Ahem!"

Reluctantly, I rise up to look back and see Jasper as he stands there with his arms over his chest and an indignant look on his face.

"What?" I ask when he says nothing.

"We have to look at the intel on Vladimir before we move out," he informs me. "And whether you like it or not, you can't do that from the bed. Get up, get a shower and come downstairs, or I'll separate the two of you if I have to."

He leaves no room for argument, turning with the door wide open. I'm tempted to defy his take-charge attitude and keep doing what I was doing before he stopped me, but I know he's right. I've allowed Bella to distract me long enough even if it's been a very welcome distraction.

"What's his problem?" Bella asks even as I get up on my hands and knees to move off the bed.

"Nothing," I say. "And he's right. We don't have time for this. I'll use the bathroom across the hall. Take a shower and get changed. We'll probably eat and then leave."

I don't give her time to argue, grabbing my bag and James' so she'll have a little privacy while I take my own shower.

While I'm alone for the first time in a few hours since finding out about Siobhan and Riley, I find myself thinking of everything that's happened in the last seven days. I can barely keep up, and I know it's all about to get a lot worse.

Despite all my thinking, my shower is still hot and short, and when I step out, I hastily dress in the jeans and shirt I find in my bag. It's the last pair of clean clothes I have left, and it makes me realize that this is the longest stretch of a mission I've been on since I started tracking Stefan and Vladimir.

My stints usually don't last more than a couple of days at the most, and now I've been on the run for seven days. It's a record, I know, but I don't have a lot of time to contemplate it. I don't have a lot of time to do much of anything right now except plan my next move. Everything else will have to wait.

Before I move downstairs with the bags in my hand, I move to the bedroom to check on Bella, but after searching through the bedroom and bathroom attached to it, I realize she's not here. The shower's been used, and I find it a little unsettling that she took less time in the bathroom than I did. Her bag is also gone, and I leave the second floor to make it to the kitchen before half an hour has passed since Jasper laid down his rules.

As I step off the bottom step of the stairs, I hear her voice coming from the kitchen.

"I cooked three nights a week for me and my parents," she's saying, to whom I don't know yet. "My grandmother taught me to cook before she died."

"Got any favorites?" Emmett asks.

"Fajitas and rice. Marinated steak and steamed broccoli. And my mom taught me to make a mean four-alarm chili."

"Ah, so we have a budding chef on our hands, I see," Emmett says. "Awesome."

"Yes," Jasper says, obviously annoyed. "Now could the two of you be quiet? I'm trying to listen to the sub station in Springfield."

This prompts me to step into the kitchen with my bags to see them all around the bar island. Still sipping on coffee, Emmett and Jasper have changed into different clothes, and Bella's long, dark hair is pulled back into a braid as she sits there in jeans and a button-down shirt. She turns on her stool to see me there, and then Emmett follows her gaze to grin at me.

"Morning!" he exclaims with a wink.

I don't say anything to him, moving to Bella's side and leaning in to kiss her cheek even as she turns to me and folds her arms together against my chest. She smells of ivory soap and rosemary with mint that's obviously the shampoo she used, and I inhale her as deeply as I can. After this small exchange, I decide not to give Emmett anymore ammunition than he already has, moving around to the coffee to get my own cup along with creamer like I did the night before.

"Do you have anything new?" I ask, stepping up to Jasper's side as he holds an earphone to one ear while sipping his own coffee.

"Nothing important. They made it to Chicago with Riley's body, and Siobhan's in the infirmary right now. They had to put her on a morphine drip, and she had a broken leg and a fractured clavicle. The dispatch is trying to keep her message simple so Aro won't know she's talking to me. I think Emmett has a new message from Russia."

Expectantly, I lift my eyes to him and fold my arms over my chest, meaning to remain as serious as possible even though he just keeps smiling.

Then I huff. "What?" I ask, annoyed.

He shakes his head. "Nothing. You just look . . . better. Like . . . a lot better." He tips his head toward Bella, and she blushes even though he's said nothing that embarrasses me anymore. Then he continues. "Like you could . . . you know, for another few days and not come up for air. And while I would be in complete agreement with that plan, because I know it's what you need, I got a new bit of intel on Vladimir about an hour and a half ago."

"An hour and a half ago?" I say a little incredulously. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Uh, because you hadn't slept in over a day, and if you don't sleep, you're pretty much useless to us and her," he says gesturing to Bella as she sits there still blushing with her head down and her bottom lip caught between her teeth.

It takes every ounce of control I have not to explode. I don't need him taking care of me like I'm sixteen all over again, and I don't need him regulating how much information I know. He's not my father, for God's sake.

"What did you find out?"

"Well, it's spotty," he says. "There were unconfirmed reports of him actually in Moscow, and a few of them were only from speculation." He pauses, and I sigh.

"Which means they were trails planted by his men to throw off anyone looking for him," I say.

"True," he agrees, folding his bulky arms over his bulky chest. "So naturally I checked again and picked up a few more in St. Petersburg. Also plants. Wherever he was a few days ago, he covered his tracks very well."

Stubbornly, I straighten my back and purse my lips. "So exactly what do you have that's going to mean anything to me at this point in time?" I ask, agitated.

"Hold your horses, Cullen," he says, holding up his big hands. "That was after you went upstairs. Like I said, I got new intel an hour and a half ago. I wanted to confirm it before I told you."

"And?" I ask, irritated.

"One of his boys messed up and leaked his location over an unsecured line. Our girl at the sub station in New Jersey intercepted it and then sent it on to me through a secure link in Springfield. Word is he's headed to Kotlas as of yesterday."

"That's not far from the safe house Stefan was headed for when I killed him," I say automatically. I studied the area for months, and I know the distance is significant for one reason. "It probably means he knows I'm the one who killed Stefan." Then I sigh and scoff. "That's just great."

"It could mean a lot of things," Emmett says. "Don't be such a Debbie Downer. All I have to do is send a transport request up from Fort Worth, and they'll have us there in a flash," he assures me as one of the alarms in the house goes off less than a second before a window behind Emmett shatters.

The four of us scatter instantly, and everything on the bar island is demolished by gunfire. Jasper is fast enough to hit the shield control to the house, and as a metal sheet covers the back window, he grabs his gun from behind him and moves to another window that hasn't been hit.

"It's Aro's men," he yells as another window shatters in the front room.

"No shit," I yell back.

Chancing a look around the bar island, I see Bella pinned, and then I see blood covering her arm and hand.

They'd been aiming for her, and I'd been stupid enough to not move her out of the way.

"The basement," Emmett orders, taking his own gun and moving to the front room to return fire.

This is all the instruction I need, grabbing Bella's hand and pulling her with me through the kitchen to the basement door. All of our other firearms are stowed down here along with every piece of info we've collected overnight, and there's a door to the garage for us to go through also. Right now, all I care about is the first aid kit.

"How did they find us?" Bella asks while I rip her sleeve and find a graze wound over her arm. She hisses as I clean it and then bandage it.

I know the answer to her question immediately, but I don't say anything, finishing her bandage and then grabbing bags of ammo and the few other automatic rifles we have stowed down here in addition to the others we brought with us. My mind is on the cell phone I carried here with me, and it makes me feel foolish.

All our bags are upstairs, but only a few minutes after leaving Emmett and Jasper, they emerge from the basement door, sealing it off and carrying my and Bella's bags to us.

"They've got the house surrounded," Jasper says, finding a new semi-automatic and another mag. "I don't understand how our trackers didn't go off first."

"Let's just get out of here," I grumble, grabbing Bella and pulling her across the basement to the garage door.

I have to be slow to open the garage door, keeping Bella close and glancing around to make sure it's safe before we make a run for the SUV as it sets quiet from the night before. Jasper climbs into the driver's seat, and Emmett steps up into the back of the SUV while I shove Bella into the back seat. In three quick movements, he turns the engine over, slams his foot on the gas and flies out of the garage.

The garage door buckles under the pressure of the SUV, and the frame of the garage cracks as Jasper backs out of the house and then down the driveway as no more than ten armed men aim their weapons at us. Even with four-wheel drive, Jasper has trouble controlling the monstrous vehicle we're careening down the driveway inside. I sit Bella in the floor board while keeping an eye on the world around us.

Before we make it halfway down the driveway, the back glass shatters, and Emmett aims over the trunk door to shoot back. A bullet slams through the front windshield, and Jasper presses his foot down harder, hitting one of the shooters and pancaking him to the pavement. Bella screams, and I hold her against me as she grasps onto me. I want to shoot back, but I have to keep her down so she doesn't get hurt.

"We'll have to dump this after we get away from the town," Emmett yells from the back as he still fires his gun.

More rounds slam into the steel body of the SUV, but because it's been bullet-proofed, none of the hits penetrate the inside where I'm sitting with Bella.

There must be dozens of bullet holes in the frame of the SUV, and Bella squeals every time one hits. I hold her tighter and whisper to her.

"It's okay. You're okay. I'm right here."

The road comes in seconds, and Jasper switches gears, driving away from the safe house and glancing over my shoulder at me. All I do is nod, and he pulls down a panel above his head, flipping a switch here and then punching a button there before turning on the only mechanism we have to prevent Aro's men from finding out what we were doing.

Less than a minute later, the house explodes in massive ball of fire from the explosives left behind to cover our intel tracks. Whether it kills any of the men who just attacked us, I don't know, and I don't care. What matters now is getting away as clean as we possibly can.

"We can't get to the next safe house before they follow us," Jasper yells. "We'll have to get to the last one of the list. That'll give us enough time to get to safety."

"Agreed," I shout back. "Just drive."

Highway 141 carries us away from the town where our safe house was located, but it's not enough. I can already see two SUVs similar to the one I'm currently sitting in following us and gaining after the length of time is takes to get to Des Moines. I don't dare get up from the floor board with Bella. However long it takes, I'm not moving a centimeter until I know she's safe again.

* * *

**The new Brit? Sam Claflin. Look him up. He's really cute.**

**Also, the next update might be a ways off, but don't fret. We're still doing good.  
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**Let me know what you think, and I'll see you next time.  
**

**Later!  
**


	20. On the Run Again

******Boy, it's been a WHILE since I updated this story! But I promise I've been working on it, and I hope you like this chapter. Shit's hitting the fan here, so be careful of flying glass and whizzing bullets.  
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**I hope you're all having a great holiday so far, and I hope it just keeps getting better!  
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**More at the bottom!  
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**On the Run . . . Again**

Mid-morning traffic isn't enough to keep the SUV we're driving from being seen by the three black SUV's following us. I still haven't left the floor board of the backseat, and Bella's hands are still grasping onto me so tight that she's tugging on my shirt but not my skin. Whether that would be preferable or not is unclear. All I know is I wish I could coil her up inside me and take all the gunfire myself.

"How much longer are we going to do this?" I yell up at Jasper.

The front windshield is whistling with a bullet hole in the top of it just under the rearview mirror, and the back glass that was broken out is making it almost impossible to hear over the noise of the wind. But when Jasper glances back at me, I know he's heard me.

"The next exit isn't for another few miles," Emmett calls up to me. "And they're gaining on us. Fast!"

"They won't stop until they have us on the side of the road with guns to our heads and the local police watching."

The loud roar of the wind overpowers my voice, and I have to sit up and look around to know for sure what we're up against.

This is when I see the three state troopers quickly following our friends and also gaining on the car chase we've created.

"Speaking of which," I say without really directing the statement at either one of them.

I glance back up at Jasper, seeing a sigh cross his lips.

"Just get us to the next exit," I yell. "It'll get us off the interstate, and maybe we can lose them before we look for another car. The less people we get involved in this, the better."

He glides his hand over the steering wheel but ultimately agrees and continues to weave in and out of traffic, but now he does it a little more conservatively. Instead of taking three or four cars and trucks at once, he passes a freight truck and then pulls up in front of it, obviously hoping to hide from our friends.

I decide to watch the back of the SUV, knowing as the seconds tick by that we're not making our situation any better with the police inching even closer than the three pursuing us. My mind settles once again on the phone I'm still carrying, especially now that I've led these men right to us, and just as I'm pulling it out of my back pocket, the damn thing rings. Loudly.

Emmett and Jasper are immediately aware of its presence.

"What the fuck is that?" Emmett yells.

"Are you fucking crazy?" Jasper shouts. "Throw it out!"

"Then what?" I yell back. "They're still following us. They'll follow us off the interstate, and if we don't lose them there, what good will it do?"

"That's how they found us!" Emmett cries. "You asshole, what were you thinking? I thought you wanted to keep her safe."

"I had it on me because of Siobhan," I tell him, unsure what I feel the need to explain. "And I made her promise to call me. I didn't think about it again until just before we left the house, and by then, it was too late."

"And you still have it on you now because of what? Siobhan's safe. They found her, or didn't you hear me last night? Throw it out!"

The phone has continued to ring through all of this, and I know they're right, but we're still on the interstate. We need time. So instead of throwing it out, I tap the screen to answer it. Almost immediately, I hear Eleazar's voice.

"Edward," he says like he's not tracking me. "How are you, son?"

"Don't call me son," I say. "You're not my father."

"No," he says, "but I have known you since you were a boy. And you know you won't be able to defy Aro for much longer. What good will that do the man who is your father?"

I have to huff, still holding Bella close to me. "He can take care of himself," I say.

"And what about her? Do you think all this defiance is going to save her? Because I can promise what we do to her will be twice as bad as what will happen to you." He pauses for a few seconds, and in those few seconds, we get a little closer to the exit. "You of all people should know there are worse things in life besides dying."

"Threatening her won't make me do anything you want," I tell him. "She's worth more than the shallow grave you would dig for her. And if I have to go in her place for you to see that, then that's what I'll do. I would've done it for Kate, and she would've done it for me. So forgive me if I'm not in the mood to negotiate."

I make to turn off the phone when he speaks again.

"We already know where you're going, Edward," he says, stopping me from hanging up. "And we know you think you can strike Aro head on. He wanted to offer you something else, especially now that he's convinced you've turned against him for a woman. I told him I would convince you to turn yourself in, but there would be conditions."

"Like what?" I scoff.

"Like putting an end to this ridiculous car chasing business and giving up the fight you think you can wager with a few semi-automatic weapons and a truckful of explosives. And handing the girl over to the grab team for her to be taken to Aro in exchange for your mother and sister's lives."

The mention of any member of my family sets my nerves on edge, but I know he's lying. My father sent my mother and Alice away as soon as I left with Bella, and I know they're safe. It would be too difficult for that kind of information to be kept from me.

"You're lying," I tell Eleazar. "You don't even know where my mother and sister are. And if you did, you'd know they wouldn't want me to trade an innocent girl for one of them. My sister knows how to use a gun, and my mother could kill a man twice her size with her bare hands. My father made sure of that when I went to train with Aro eight years ago."

"There are only a few places outside Aro's territory anyone could go to be safe," Eleazar says calmly, "and we have all those places under surveillance. You don't have as many places to go as you think."

"Edward, get off the phone!" Jasper yells. "They're still tracking us, and he's playing you!"

I turn my eyes to Bella's as she sits next to me, and as I take her hand in mine, there's only one thing I want to say to Eleazar.

"The next time I talk to you, I'll be the one tracking you, and you better hope you have a three-day head start because you're going to need it."

With that, I shut the phone off, and Jasper switches lanes a fourth time to pull off the interstate onto the off-ramp. I use the butt of the gun in my hand to smash the phone and roll down the window beside me to throw it out.

"Hold on!" Jasper orders, turning the car hard to the left to go up the overpass and barely missing another freight truck as it blasts its horn at us.

Everything in the back goes flying, and while I'm still sitting in the floor board with Bella, I hold her as tightly as I can with shards of glass falling from the seats and sliding along the floor matts.

Once we're on the other side of the overpass, he turns hard to the right to get on the service road next to the interstate, and he's careening along the way without a care in the world as our path has now been unobstructed.

But we still have to get rid of our vehicle. Now that the police have spotted us, they've no doubt tried to run the license plate numbers and probably come up empty as to who the SUV belongs to and where it came from. It will tell them only one thing — that it doesn't belong where it is.

A few more minutes pass, and while we're going faster, so have our two sets of pursuers. They're getting closer, and if we don't do something drastic soon — like get off this road — they'll overtake us and have us pinned before the cops can even begin to think about intervening. Just as I'm thinking this, thankfully, Jasper slows down a little and suddenly turns onto another road that leads farther into the trees around us. He turns another sharp corner and then another before screeching to a halt behind a pair of run-down warehouse looking buildings that have probably seen better days.

Without saying anything to me, he climbs out of the driver's seat, and Emmett runs up to replace him as he races to the building on the right. A precious minute passes before Jasper comes out as he's raising a gate that looks like a loading dock for freight trucks and delivery trucks. Emmett guns the engine, reversing into the open gate and coincidently the darkness before Jasper puts the gate back down. Finally, Emmett climbs out of the SUV and hurries to the gate where Jasper is still looking outside.

"Where are we?" Bella asks.

Quickly, I silence her with my fingers on her lips, shaking my head and then looking back at Emmett and Jasper. I'm uncertain how he knew to come here. I suppose it's possible he could've seen it on the GPS, but I don't remember him using it. That means he probably saw it from the road we just came from, but how?

Three or four minutes pass silently as we all wait, but I can't breathe this whole time. I can't stop thinking about what Eleazar saying about knowing all of the few locations outside Aro's territory. That means they already know about the few my father gave me that are well within Aro's territory.

Will we even have time to get to our destination before they find us again?

When Jasper and Emmett get back to the SUV, the first thing they do is take all the equipment out of the back along with all the bags of guns. I have to follow their lead without arguing because for the first time, I don't know what they're planning — at least not until Emmett tells me.

"We're gonna have to walk to the next transpo," he says. "There's a junk yard down the street. How do the two of you feel about hoofing it?"

Neither Bella nor I have any objections, and after I help her out of the back seat, we grab her jacket and set off from the warehouse.

Because it's still halfway between winter and spring, the air is still cold, but the sun is shining as we set out on our way. The ground is wet from a recent rain, and the trees are bare of leaves that would normally keep us hidden from anyone trying to find us. Jasper grumbles about this for the first ten minutes until we reach the junk yard, and I have to hold my tongue to keep from telling him to shut up.

The gate of the yard is easy to scale, even for Bella since it's a chain link fence with no barb wire on top, and Jasper leads the way to the main building where he apparently thinks there is a vehicle for us to drive. Despite it being still early in midday, it's a Sunday and the junk yard is closed down. This will give us an opportunity to look around.

Emmett finds the office and a few pieces of computer equipment, but that's not what he's looking for. Bella sticks close to me, still looking around but not saying anything. After a while of looking and no finding, I stop in the middle of the building as the motor oil, gasoline, and metal grease smells converge on my senses. She stops with me and puts her arms around me as we wait, and I hold her close to me.

My eyes naturally skim my surroundings, and that's when I see an extended cab truck in the corner near one of the gates.

"Jasper!" I yell, sure we're alone and also sure that we can't stay still for long.

He finds me as I'm pointing to the truck, nodding and hurrying toward it as Emmett steps out of the office with a smile on his face.

"Got us some cash!" he exclaims.

"Good," I say. I nod to our new transportation. "We've got a truck."

He looks and nods. "Awesome."

The three of us move at the same time, converging on the truck where Jasper is searching the inside for the keys. The frustration in his eyes is clear until Bella moves forward and pulls the driver's side visor down and catches the keys as they fall into her hand. Jasper kind of glares at her with a raised eyebrow before he looks at me.

"Just get in," he orders.

Emmett loads all our bags into the back and climbs into the front passenger seat, and after I've sat in the back seat with Bella, Jasper pulls the gate up so we can get out of the building without making too much noise. Our escape has to be as unnoticeable as possible. We can't knock down walls or blow up buildings right now, especially since we need the supplies to get us to the next location where we'll be able to get more.

When we make it to the chain link fence gate, Jasper is able to find a key on the key ring from the truck and opens it to pull out and then lock it back. It takes more precious minutes than we have to spare but no one complains. I know it's more important for us to get away safe than it is to get away fast.

Our plan works, getting us back on the interstate to our destination within forty-five minutes, and we're even able to stop for lunch through a drive-thru so we don't have to sit in the same area for more than a few minutes. We actually pass the exit that would take us to the next safe house which happens to be in Lawrence, Kansas, and Bella falls asleep with her head on my shoulder. Emmett can't keep his eyes from mine as he keeps looking back at us with this stupid grin on his face.

Okay, so I'm acting different, and it's obvious that he likes it.

Emmett has known me since before I went into Aro's training program, and he's seen me through nearly every incarnation of my "transformation" from an idealistic teenager to the world-hardened asshole I apparently was before I found Bella. Even with Kate, my view on the world had been so bleak and dark, and it seems now that I've found someone with not just fire inside her but also light, my eyes are brighter and clearer than they have been in years.

"We're not going to have a lot of time to make any complicated decisions," Jasper says from the driver's seat. "Now that we've bypassed the Lawrence safe house, it's only going to give us an hour or two at the most to do something worthwhile at the next one. We have to come up with a plan, and that can't be done while we're on the road."

"We only have about four hours to figure that out," Emmett says.

"We'll figure something out when we get there," I tell them. "They're expecting us to follow a certain order of things, and we have to trip them up."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Jasper asks.

For a few seconds, I don't say anything, collecting my thoughts the same as I did this morning. "Well, what do they know?"

Neither Jasper nor Emmett speaks for half a minute.

"They know you're with me," I tell them.

"And they know she's with us," Emmett says.

I nod. "They know we're armed, and they know where we're going. What else?"

Emmett's eyes settle on Bella for another few seconds. "They know what she looks like, and they know you're going to be with her."

Again, I nod, and this is the last thing that's said as we drive down the interstate toward our new destination. I look at Bella as she sleeps, wondering exactly what we can do to make sure she's safe.

The rest of the ride is quiet and gives me enough time to think about everything that's happened so far. It's only been seven days, and I can barely keep up. There are only a few things I'm absolutely certain of, and Bella is one of those things. My mother and sister are safe, no matter what Eleazar says, and I know my father will do whatever he needs to so he can see me again when everything's done.

The only problem is that I don't know when it's going to be done.

This might last for the rest of my life if I don't kill Aro and get rid of the people loyal to him.

Will this ever be done?

* * *

**I've got the rest of this story mapped out, so once I find the time to write it, we'll be well on our way to big surprise. Can anybody guess what it is?**

**I'm also writing several stories in addition to this one, so updates are still going to be a little spotty, but I swear, it won't be like this again. Keep your fingers crossed for me.  
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**Since I know it won't be before next week, everybody have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! You're all awesome!  
**


	21. Letting Your Guard Down

******Crazy stuff is starting to happen! I hope you're ready for it. Two things before you read, yes, the place this chapter takes place in is real, and no, I've never been there. That's what the imagination's for.  
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**Also, I keep forgetting this, but I don't own Twilight. Obviously.  
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**Y'all have been so awesome with this story. I hope you like this chapter!  
**

* * *

**Letting Your Guard Down**

I expect to find a few things when we reach the safe house in Oklahoma, especially since it hasn't been used in about ten years. Dust, outdated furniture and rust in the pipes. But what I don't expect is to find the entire house ransacked.

Every room has been rummaged through and destroyed to the point that it looks like a robbery. But I know that's not the case. Eleazar's words come back from earlier, and I know this is what he meant. They knew all the places we'd go.

They've already been here.

At first, I think this is a good thing.

If they've already been here, then maybe they've moved on. The next safe house is in Texas, and it's almost five hours away.

But that would be too easy. And Aro's men won't let us slip through their fingers again. They'll be waiting in town for us to show up since this safe house is on the southeast side of town. But we took an old road here that allowed us to drive around town.

My training tells me that when those men don't see us pull through town within the next few hours, they'll start searching the town and then circle back to come here.

This means it's not over. Not even close.

Jasper and Emmett do a thorough sweep of the house before Bella and I move away from the front door, checking for trip wires, surveillance devices, bombs and poisonous substances that might have been left behind in the event that the grab team missed us. They have to tear up everything else that's intact, which leaves only a few places to even actually sit.

"We've got everything we need," Jasper says as we walk upstairs to the bathroom after he and Emmett are done. "Let's do it and get out of here."

I don't argue and neither does Bella.

Even though the bathroom is twice as big as it should be, I still leave her in Emmett's capable hands as he gets the hair color and contacts we bought for her at a department store an hour away. I'm sitting across the bathroom from her as Jasper does the same thing to me, thinking and pondering and knowing there's only one option left.

We thought about getting a wig for her, but Bella insisted this was better. I could care less what color her hair is even though it looks better brown, but those men know that. They won't expect her to be blond or have green eyes. I've only had to change my appearance a few times for my assignments, but it was usually only because I had to get so close that other people would see me before hand.

When Emmett starts to cut Bella's hair, there's a little part of me that actually feels bad because her long hair was so beautiful. She doesn't complain, seeing me as I stare and grinning a little so I'll know it's okay. She looks like she just went to a professional salon when he's done with her, and she's blushing when she looks at his work in the mirror.

"Not bad, Emmett," she teases before picking up her clothes and stepping behind the partition to change.

He proudly sweeps up all the wet, blond hair from the floor with a wide smile on his face, and I can't let him go without teasing him too.

"Rose would be proud," I tell him, and he looks at me. "I think you missed your calling, Em."

He chortles and comes toward me as Jasper is finishing with me. "You're just jealous that I actually have something I fall back on when all this is over," he jabs.

I laugh as he leaves, but after he's gone, the laughing stops.

He clearly has more hope and faith than I do.

"Don't pay attention to him," Jasper says softly. "He's just a little jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Well, yeah. He and Rose haven't been in that blissful, afterglow thing since they first met. Now she teases him and denies him until he's home for more than a couple weeks. And he's not used to being on the receiving end of it."

I try not to nod or smile, but then a word resounds in my head. "I'm glowing?" I ask. "How in the hell is that possible? With all this shit going on."

"You just are," he says. "It doesn't matter what's going on in your head, Edward. Your heart is finally full. You have someone to be with you on the other side of this, and that's something I know for sure. This is going to end soon. Bella's going to be with you when it ends."

His words should give a little more hope, but they don't because I know there's a lot of shit that has to happen before I get anywhere close to what he's talking about.

"You should change too," he says. "We have to get the truck ready."

He steps away after a minute, and I gather up my clothes before moving toward the partition where Bella's still hiding.

"You're the one who should be glowing," I say to her softly, peeking around the side of the partition to see her standing this in her jeans and her shirt in her hands.

Gently, I gather her up in my arms to hold her close, memorizing her face again and looking over her wet, blond, cropped hair before I look in her eyes.

"I want this to be over now," I whisper.

She doesn't say anything, rising up on her bare toes and draping her arms over my shoulders to kiss me for the first time in hours. It feels like an eternity has passed since then, and I need her as close to me right now as I can get her. I want to be inside her right now so badly, but we don't have time.

Bella seems to know this, grasping onto my neck and the hair at the back of my head. She still doesn't say anything when I let go of her lips, pressing her forehead to mine and taking in as deep a breath of me as she can. I do the same, clinging to her like she's the only thing holding me together. Maybe she is now.

"We have to go," I say after a few minutes.

There's no arguing to be done as we disconnect and then resume changing.

Once we're done, we leave the bathroom, finding Jasper as he waits outside in the hall. He doesn't say anything, leading us back downstairs were Emmett is waiting at the door.

It's almost dark, and a still-hopeful part of me wants this to mean it will be easier for us to get away. But it won't be easy from here on out.

"We can't go through town," Jasper says as we walk. "But if we don't, we'll have to take a different route out of the state, and that'll lead us away from the next safe house."

I don't mean to sound defeated, because I know we'll be running until Aro's men are forced to let us go into someone else's territory. But if we keep running, the chances of Bella getting caught increases.

"Either east or west of here will take us deeper in Aro's territory," I say unenthusiastically.

When Jasper glances at me, I know he sees it. "Which would you prefer? Him or Benito? The Mexicans will slaughter us, and we can't afford to go to the next safe house. Especially if this one is any indication."

"I would prefer not to keep running," I say.

He stops and faces me. "If we don't run, they'll catch all of us," he tells me, his eyes meeting mine with superiority in them. "Is that what you want?"

"I want Aro to pay for Kate's death," I retort with an elevated voice. "I want my family to be safe, and I want Bella to be safe. The longer we run, the worse this gets. We'll always be running. I want to hit Aro where it hurts most, so he'll know he's lost."

Jasper shakes his head. "We can't go to Italy," he says, arguing. "We don't have the resources, the time or the element of surprise. He'll be expecting it."

"I know what he won't expect."

Though Jasper and I haven't known each other as long as I've known Emmett, I know he can see the look in my eyes when he looks at me. He doesn't say anything at first, moving again to the truck where Emmett is waiting.

"It better be worth it," he says just before climbing up into the driver's seat.

I don't reply as I help Bella into the back, and before it can get completely dark, we drive away from the safe house and head toward town.

The town is almost completely lit up when we make it to the main street in town where most of the businesses reside, and I know I've made the right decision when I spot a group of SUVs parked in front of a gas station up the street from the expressway that leads out of town. I also spot several posters on light poles through town advertising a local festival.

_Come One! Come all! Live Music! Great Food! Local Pride and Fun for Everyone at the Broken Arrow Spring Festival!_

This is when I know where I want to go. And it's apparently spread over the high school campus. It's perfect.

"What are we doing?" Bella asks as we pull into a Pizza Hut parking lot.

"Well," I say with a smile, "right now, we're going to eat. And then, it's going to be our turn."

It's all I have to say for her to know what's going on, and after we've made our way into the restaurant, I notice how tense she becomes.

I'm on edge the whole time we're in the restaurant, my eyes skimming my surroundings and keeping a tally of everyone who leaves and comes in. There's laughing and talking and shuffling around, but most of it is normal for a place like this. I also realize that it's a Friday night, so there's more than usual.

A few times, out of the corner of my eye, I think I see Demetri and Felix, but then it's just a football player and one of his friends. Our luck seems to be holding for the time being, and I hope it stays with us until I can get Bella to safety. After that, it's just a matter of holding on long enough to make Aro see the error of his ways — starting with asking my father to train me when I was eighteen.

From the restaurant, we drive around a darker side of town to the high school, and that feeling of being followed creeps up my neck again. Because it's already dark, I can't see anything, but it does nothing to stop my imagination running away from me. The parking lot that's serving as a gathering place for the people milling around the festival, and Jasper parks on the very edge of the lot so he'll have a straight line to the exit. From there, I take Bella, and Jasper and Emmett move off in the opposite direction.

"Why are they going that way?" Bella asks as we walk.

I wait until we're through the gate to answer her, glancing back and again seeing the football player and his friend. "Because we're being followed."

She doesn't say anything else after that.

The music inside the gates is loud and pulsing even in the ground. The food smells lift above the crowd as it ebbs and flows as if with a tide beating against the shore of a beach, and there are vendors at every corner selling their toys and jewelry and clothes. If this were a carnival, there would kid rides and a Ferris Wheel. Bella looks around as we walk, obviously reminded of something from her home.

Though we've already eaten, I buy her a funnel cake, and we sit in a sectioned off set of chairs in front of a tiny stage where a few dozen people are enjoying a local band's music. For the few minutes, we sit quietly while she eats, and it's almost like we're two people just enjoying the festivities. I've never done anything like this before, even when I was kid in Chicago. A part of me I wish was still innocent wants to be able to do something like this with her again, but I don't know if that will ever be possible again.

I do have a little hope that after tonight she'll be safe again, but everything else is a long shot.

Even me seeing her again.

The funnel cake disappears a little too quickly, but once it's gone, we leave our seats and wander around to another part of the grounds.

This is when I spot a pair of men I know is here for me only.

I don't know if they've spotted us, but to be on the safe side, I start weaving through the crowd as it grows, getting to the edge of the festival grounds and hiding with Bella until I'm sure they haven't seen us.

"What's happening?" Bella whispers, grasping onto me tighter as the seconds tick by.

What do I tell her?

She knows we're being followed. I don't know if they've seen her, but I'm about to do something that will ensure they stop looking for her.

Without saying anything, I discreetly pull my nine-millimeter from its holster and give it to her.

"We're being followed," I tell her again. "And I can't let them get to you. So I need you to take this."

She shakes her head fervently. "No."

Gently, I nudge the gun into her hand. "I need you to take this and find Jasper."

"No," she cries, still shaking her head.

"Find Jasper and get out of here. Get to my father in Chicago, and he'll know what to do."

"No, I'm not leaving you!"

To keep anyone from noticing us, I kiss her before she can completely fall apart, holding her against me as she still grasps onto my gun. She claws at my shirt, wrapping her leg around mine and whimpering as I let go.

"It's okay," I whisper. "I'll be okay. They have to get me back to him alive. It's the only way, and he won't be expecting it, Bella."

"But they'll hurt you," she says through a sob.

"Probably," I say nodding. "But I've been in enemy hands before. It's nothing I won't survive." Gently, I cup her face in my hands to make her look at me. "I need you to be safe, Bella. This is the only way. Jasper and Emmett will keep you safe. You just have to trust them."

She cries again, laying her forehead against my chin, and I kiss her in her hair before nudging her back and wiping her tears away.

"You can do this," I tell her. "You're so strong, and I know you can do this. Find Jasper and get out of here."

I watch as she gathers herself and releases a few more tears before backing away from me and moving off in the opposite direction.

Minutes pass as I stand there, and when I'm sure Bella's far enough away to not be spotted, I move away from my hiding spot to make my pursuers aware of my presence. Spotting the men following me is easy, and I keep moving away from the people walking around. The sounds around me all blend together until it's nothing but white noise. A little girl laughing, a cell phone ringing, a vendor shouting to attract customers, a dog barking. It all means nothing to me as I stop near the opposite end of the festival grounds, allowing my pursuers to catch up to me.

"Thinking of doing something stupid?" Demetri asks with a little too much superiority in his voice.

I don't say anything as a big hand grabs my arms and turns me around to face him and Felix.

"Love the hair," Felix says with a grin.

"Yes," Demetri says. "Too bad it didn't work to your advantage."

My hands are bound and then shoved over the rope barrier separating the festival from the street surrounding it.

"We were going to take you and the girl in together," Demetri continues as we walk. "But Aro will be very interested in talking to you first. I hope all of your running hasn't made you a coward, Cullen."

No words of protest or even taunting leave my lips.

I know Jasper will get Bella to safety.

Whatever happens to me now isn't important.

* * *

**Yikes! This cannot be good.**

**Now, I know what you're all thinking, okay, maybe not. But no, Bella will not be captured. I'll spoil you with that right now. And the next couple of chapters might be a little difficult to stomach, but trust me when I say they're a necessary evil.  
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**I hope you're all having a great day, and I'll see you next time!  
**


	22. Back to Where it all Began

******Okay, chicas. Here's the first part of the worst part of this story, and I can say this with absolutely certainty, because even _I_ got a little squeamish writing it. Edward has been captured, he's being taken back to Aro, and Demetri and Felix will of course use him as a punching bag because they don't have Bella. But don't worry about our boy. It has to get bad before it gets better.  
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**Also, I know I have other stories to update, and they will be updated, but REAL LIFE is being a bitch to my fanfiction stories, so they're going slow for now. This will not always be the case, so fear not.  
**

**I don't own Twilight, but if I did . . .  
**

**And I keep forgetting, but this is all un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are all mine.  
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**See you at the bottom!  
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**Back to Where it all Began**

First Felix, then Demetri. Neither of them can decide which one gets to hit me more. First they ask a question, then one of them hits me. First my jaw and then my gut. But I won't give them any answers. And they know that. Then they hit me.

From the parking lot to an abandoned airstrip outside town, they've taunted me and given away too much information.

Aro knows that I've sent Bella's parents outside his territory, but he hasn't located them yet. Aro knows that Siobhan was helping me from the first moment she found me because of her last location when she checked in with Eleazar that morning. He knows that my father helped me after I disobeyed his orders to kill Bella and her parents. He knows too much that he shouldn't. I can't decide if this means I've been betrayed or if I've been careless.

Both of those are possible, but I haven't had a good opportunity to determine which is more so. Jasper and Emmett would never betray me or my father, especially with Alice and Rosalie and danger. Sam and Jacob both disagree with Aro's practices and have already sworn their loyalty to me and my father. Bella and her parents owe me and Kate and Siobhan, Jasper and Emmett their lives. They wouldn't do that. Plus, I've been kind of distracted.

Not to mention that I've had Bella pretty much in my sight and my arms the entire time we've been together. I have always gotten a sense about people and their intentions, and even though she's been scared most of the time, I know I can trust her. I know she trusts me.

And I think I . . . love her.

As impossible as that might seem after a week, I know it's the only thing that makes sense to me now. _She_ is the only thing that really makes sense to me right now.

When Felix and Demetri got me to the airstrip, a private jet was waiting, and I was hauled on board to be strapped to a chair in the middle of the cabin that held several chairs and tables. Once I was tied down, the questions started.

"Where are the girl's parents?" Demetri has asked.

"Who else is helping you?" Felix asked after that.

"Do you really think your father can save you now?"

"As soon as we find the girl, don't you know what we'll do to her?"

Nothing makes me budge.

They won't kill me. I know this. They'll take me back to Aro bloody and unconscious more than likely, but I'll be alive.

"I'm going to enjoy torturing her," Demetri says as he and Felix hover over me on the way to Italy. "She's probably a fighter and a screamer, isn't she?"

He laughs and then Felix does too.

"Come on, Cullen," Felix says. "We're just trying to have some fun."

With blood oozing from my nose and mouth and a deep cut above my brow allowing blood into my left eye, I stare into blank space with my vision tinted red.

"He probably had a nice little romp with her," Demetri says with a laugh. "The pictures of her aren't enough, but I sure would have liked to see her in person. I do love having my way with the girls. Every scream. Every whimper. Every cry. It's music to my ears."

Felix grabs my hair and yanks my head back, grinning maniacally. "Pretty soon we'll start cutting fingers and toes, Cullen," he taunts. "So long as you've got a brain and balls for Aro to play with, he won't care if you make it there in pieces."

I stare up at the ceiling of the cabin, refusing to give in.

A minute passes, and Demetri steps back to a cart where they've laid an array of knives and other torture devices. There's rope and hammers and an ice pick. I've been tortured before, in between the target trying to cut my heart out and getting a spiral fracture in my right arm when a rival tried to throw me off the trail of a drug dealer who'd been supplying one of Aro's competitors by literally throwing me over a balcony. Nothing stopped me then.

It won't stop me now.

With a knife in his left hand and a thin rope in his right, Demetri moves toward me with a knowing smile on his face.

"She was a virgin, wasn't she?" he chuckles. "She probably hadn't even had anyone else touch her. Did it feel good to deflower her? Did you fuck her hard, Cullen?"

Felix tugs on my hair harder, but I don't say anything.

"I bet she screamed when you fucked her," Demetri continues, pressing the flat of the blade under my chin and pressing his knee against my crotch. "I think I'll like having my way with her. That way, she'll know what a real man is supposed to feel like. When we find her, I'll even make you watch."

Anger floods through me, and my first sign of weakness seeps out as tears slip from my eyes.

"Oh, look at that, Felix!" Demetri says with a laugh. "Cold, removed, detached Edward Cullen cries for a girl! Let me guess, Cullen, you thought you could save her life, so you think that means you have some kind of perverse right to have a normal life now? Do you?" he shouts in my face.

Clenching my teeth, I work as hard as I can to compose myself. I can't think about Bella or my father or Alice or my mother. I have to think about what I'm going to do to Aro when I get to him. I'll stab him in the heart and then cut it out of his chest to feed it to him. I'll cut out his tongue and then take off both of his ears. Once I've got his attention, I'll take out his eyes and then cut off his nose. He won't even be able to scream once I've started chopping off his hands and feet. No one will recognize him when I'm finished with him.

"Tell me, Cullen, after eight years of having a forbidden relationship with Kate right under Aro's nose, how did it feel to screw a virgin?" Demetri says as a taunt. "Did she move the same as Kate? Was she a firecracker in bed just like Katie? Did her kisses make you think of Kate? Were you thinking about Kate while you fucked her?"

If I can, I'll castrate Aro while he's still breathing, and then he'll be a creature from one of those horror movies that people almost always feel sorry for when it comes time to be afraid of that thing that's wailing in the night and pounding on the wall to frighten anyone nearby. Then when I'm done chopping his dick into little pieces, I'll gut him like a pig and let his intestines spill out onto the floor.

The tip of Demetri's knife presses into the back of my arm, and he draws blood before drawing back and then stabbing my arm.

Sharp, heavy pain blasts up my arm to my shoulder, but I don't cry out. I can't. That's what he wants.

I've been tortured before. This is no different.

I can take whatever they can give.

"When we find her," Felix says close to my ear, "I'm going to stick her myself, but it won't be with a knife. If you make me have to work for it, I promise to leave her bleeding and crying for you even though you won't be able to do a fucking thing to stop me. But if you tell us where she is, I might go easy on her. The first time."

Clenching my teeth against the pain in my arm and my head, I draw in as deep a breath as I can, keeping my eyes forward even though I can hear every word he's saying and know that he's completely serious about his threat. Of these two dim-witted assholes, Felix is the harshest and cruelest. When Aro lets him out of headquarters, it's only because a special kind of attention needs to be paid to an opponent or a defected agent.

Right now, I'm pretty sure I'm both.

When I don't say anything, Felix looks at Demetri, grinning and then nodding. A few seconds pass, and Demetri draws back his knife again above my other arm. He doesn't make a mark beforehand, ramming the blade through my muscle and bone to the wooden arm beneath it. This time, I can't stop the groan that leaves my lips, and Demetri smiles victoriously.

"That's more like it," he says with a satisfied laugh. "So what should we stab next? I'm quite fond of feet, but I think in this instance, we should aim a bit higher."

He stands up straight and spreads my legs as I sit there tied to a chair. It doesn't really matter what he does to me, but now I'm bleeding so damn heavily that I need to put a stop to this before he does permanent damage.

The knife in his hand is above my head and about to stab my thigh when I yell as loud as I can.

"Stop!"

Of course, he does, because he's stupid, and this is the opportunity I need.

"I do have something to tell you," I say, still clenching my teeth against the pain. "And it's about the girl. You need to know something important about her, and it doesn't have anything to do with me."

Felix laughs but doesn't let go of my hair. "What exactly is so important about this bitch except the fact that she's used goods now?"

His tactless attitude is exactly what I expect, and it's because of this that I decide to play with it.

"If you kill me, you'll never find her," I taunt. "If you kill me, Aro won't be happy with you for taking the chance away from him. And you know I'm right. And if you kill me, my father will hunt you down and string you both up by your balls, and I can promise that my mother will be the one to impale you in the front yard for all of Aro's other competitors to see. Kill me, and you die. What's important about the girl is that she's the only one keeping you alive right now, and it's for that reason that you don't want to know where she is. The two of you value your own necks more than anyone else's. So what's more worth it? Torturing me or watching Aro do it, knowing that you'll get to see it because he'll be pleased that you delivered me to him in one piece?"

Whether I've given them something to think on or not isn't obvious immediately. Demetri is unpleasant on a good day, and the only person he really listens to is Aro. So if Aro has told him to beat the living shit out of me, he will. Felix hasn't got the brains of a cockroach, and even if you cut off his head, he'll still follow orders. For a few tense minutes, neither of them moves, contemplating what I've said.

Then I guess it's about not letting me see that they agree with me, because they both back away and drop their macho stance of _kick the bastard who defied our boss_. I try to keep my head up, but now both my arms have stab wounds in them, and I'm bleeding all over the place. My head swims against the lull of the jet, and my eyes roll into the back of my head. If I try to clench my fists, it'll make the bleeding worse. While I'm sitting here at the mercy of these two lugheads, there's nothing I can do but either die or pass out — whichever comes first.

Demetri seems to realize this, and he takes bandages from under the cart carrying his weapons, moving forward to tie up my arms. He's not gentle about it either, keeping my wrists attached to the chair arms and lifting my forearms to wrap the bandages around them roughly. More pain shoots up my limbs, making the dizziness worse, and when my eyes start to close, he slaps me across the face.

"Don't be such a fucking wimp, Cullen," he orders. "I thought you've been tortured before this."

His statement pisses me off, and a new sliver of determination fills my chest. "How about we trade places, and you'll see how much damage I can do to _you_."

He laughs but doesn't relent, grabbing my hair and yanking my head back again. "I'm going to find Isabella Swan," he warns. "And when I do, I'm going to ask Aro if I can have the last thing you see before you die be the sight of her screaming and crying for you from less than ten feet away. First, I'll cut off all her fingers and toes — well, after I've used her up thoroughly. I'll make sure she's nice and bloody before we show her to you. She'll cry and fight and plead. They all do. And you'll have to watch knowing there's nothing you can do. If you think Riley is bad when it comes to torturing, you haven't seen anything. He's a fucking robot. All he knows to do is follow orders. Whereas I actually know how to enjoy myself. And I will, Cullen. That's a promise."

I can't show him how furious I am or how scared his words make me, especially because I know that once he delivers me to Aro, there's a good chance that he'll leave again. Right now, I can't really show him anything except how weak I am from blood loss and how tired I am from his fists hitting me and literally zapping all my energy.

How long have we been in the air? A few hours?

A flight from New York to Italy takes a few hours, but when they left, we were in the middle of the country. A normal plane would only be halfway there by now, but they're on one of Aro's jets. Those things can fly twice as fast as a normal plane. Maybe we're almost there. But that doesn't make me feel any better. Once I'm in Aro's custody, what he does to me will be worse than this even if he doesn't lay a finger on me.

Felix leaves to clean up, and Demetri starts cleaning his weapons, not paying any attention to me.

Right about now, if I were anywhere else, I'd be trying to free myself from this chair. I've done it before when I was captured by Benito once on a job in El Salvador. They had me strapped to a chair for three days, asking me stupid questions about who I worked for and who my target was when they knew the answers to those questions the whole time. By the time they'd caught me, I'd already killed my target, and there was nothing they could do about it. They'd tried to trade me for drug money, but Aro hadn't budged — even for his most prized agent. In the end, an Alpha team had stormed the compound where I was being kept, but not before I unhinged one of the chair arms and shoved the sharp end of it into the neck of Benito's right hand man, which happened to be a woman named Maria.

Benito still doesn't like me, but he's given up trying to catch me.

Losing Maria hurt his entire racket. Now he's like a shark in blood-infested waters. So we mostly stay out of Mexico and anywhere else south of Texas.

The only problem is that I have stab wounds in both my arms, and I have pain shooting up both sides of my shoulders. Blood has soaked the bandages already, and I'm starting to lose the hold I have on my surroundings. And plus, we're probably anywhere between ten thousand and thirty thousand feet in the air, so where would I go? I can't kill Demetri because Felix will still be on board, and even if I could take Demetri without flinching, Felix is five inches taller than me and has about ninety pounds on me. I'm not usually in the business of pointing out my shortcomings, but right now, the safer thing to do is wait and land.

They'll take me to Aro.

Aro will interrogate me until I've been thoroughly talked out and probably bled all over his ten thousand dollar Persian rug.

If I die, it will be worth it, because no matter what they do to me, I won't tell them where Bella is, who she's with or where she's going.

Problem with that is I'm not exactly one hundred percent sure they don't already know that I sent her to my father. It wouldn't be that difficult to figure out, and I'm nothing else if not a creature of habit. Aro knows what I would do first thing as soon as I found myself in a situation I couldn't get out of by myself.

He knows.

And it's because my father is the one who sent in the Alpha team that he knows this.

But really, how valuable can I be beat up, bloody and unconscious?

Either Aro has told Demetri and Felix to have just enough fun to appease themselves but not too much to the point that I'm useless when they get me to him, or there's something else he knows that he wants me to confirm.

I can't figure out what, and my head starts swimming again with the blood loss.

"Cullen!"

Demetri's voice comes at me like he's a million miles away, and then he's standing in front of me, staring at my face and knowing something isn't going the way he's planned.

"Shit!"

He disappears for a minute and returns with an injector kit that looks similar to one I've used when I'm close enough to my targets to take them down without using a gun or explosives. I watch as he opens the case and takes out a syringe, stabbing the needle into a little bottle of clear liquid before he then jabs it into my arm.

I barely register it, but whatever he's giving me makes the dizziness worse. My eyes roll into the back of my head, and my head lulls back against the chair behind me.

"You worthless dick," Demetri hisses. "This shirt costs six hundred dollars."

Without another word, he rips the shirt off and then unhinges my restraints, laying me in the floor and proceeding to fix the damage to my arms.

Whether he does a good job or not, I don't know.

I pass out less than five minutes after he starts.

* * *

**Part one of the worst part of the story is officially over, but the part two will be just as bad. Sorry! It has to be done, especially for everything that comes afterward.**

**I hope everybody's having a good day so far even though for some it might be ending, and/or over. In that case, I hope you're having a good night.  
**

**See ya next time!  
**


	23. Torture

**Okay, second half of the worst chapter of this story is coming up. It's not so much bloody as it is painful. And I tried not to make it so bad in the way of physical torture as I did mental torture. I hope it's easy to tell.  
**

**Also, well, I guess you'll need to read it to know if it's too much.**

**I don't own Twilight, honestly. I promise.**

**And this is, still, un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are mine.**

**See you at the bottom!**

* * *

**Torture**

The first thing I know upon regaining consciousness is that I'm again sitting upright and my hands are secured to the wooden planks of a large chair. There's a single bright light above my head, but when I open my eyes, all I can see around me is black. When I try to move my feet, I feel something prickly and tight around my bare ankles. Looking down, the only thing I feel is surprise when I realize that I have bare metallic wires wrapped against my skin. Bandages are wrapped around my arms, and dull pain still radiates through the wounds, but I know without seeing them that Demetri patched me up enough to get me to Aro for this new torture session.

"Don't bother getting up. We're the only ones down here, and I don't mind poor manners."

I know this voice even though I haven't heard it in many months. The instant I see her pale brown head come out of the shadows with a mischievous smirk on her face and a giddy glare in her icy blue eyes, I think my heart skips a beat.

"Jane."

She steps closer, dressed in her signature black leather pants and red silk shirt. Because I'm a good five years older than she is, you wouldn't think I'd be intimidated by her. That's the problem though. She's only five years younger than me, and she's completely lethal. Aro found her and her brother Alec in an orphanage when they were both thirteen, and when he found out they were about to be sent to an institution for torturing and nearly killing a classmate who was only eleven, Aro stepped in and agreed to take them into his stead. Of course, this meant he wanted to exploit their talents for his own purposes.

For all other intents, Jane and Alec have grown up learning how to manipulate the human body to get just the right answers from prisoners before being given as much a free reign over their last few, precious seconds of life as they want.

"I've missed you, Edward," she says, still smirking. "It's too bad about Kate, isn't it? I would've loved to have a crack at her before she died."

Without realizing it, I'm clenching my jaws, and she laughs.

"Pulse increases," she notes. "Breathing quickens. Interesting. So maybe you did actually feel something for her. It's too bad she was nothing but a whore with a shiny pistol."

She's saying this to get a rise out of me, because she knows I'm still grieving, because she knows I would've done anything to keep Kate alive, because she knows I blame myself for Kate's death.

"I wonder if she knew," Jane continues as a squeaky cart is rolled out into the light so I can see. Of course I'm not expecting Aro to be pushing it ahead in such a menial way. But it's what's on the cart that surprises me most.

"Good evening, Edward," Aro says with a small smile. "Hopefully, you enjoyed your flight. Messy business about your arms, yes? Allow me to apologize for Demetri's behavior. I hate that he felt the need to go to such extreme measures."

Did I mention that Jane was the main instigator when she and Alec tortured the kid they almost killed?

"But it was so effective," she says, despite Aro's disapproving look in her direction. "And we get to talk about such a good waste of space where Kate was concerned. Before we go any further, though, I should probably warn you about your current situation."

From the floor, she picks up two exposed wires, stepping back to the cart as Aro uncovers a pair of metal connectors so Jane can wrap the wires around them. Following the wires and ending up at my ankles, I know what this means.

"I'm sure you're familiar with this, Edward," she says, laying her hand over the case and smiling at it admirably. "I think I overused it on your last prisoner. What was his name again? Vincenzo? He was a part of Stefan's entourage. There was barely enough of a brain left when I got finished with him."

I can't let her see that this has me terrified. I can't let her see how weak I am or that I might pass out again if she does what I know she's about to do.

"Let's see," she grins. "I think we'll start at twenty thousand volts. Just enough to cause a little pain."

I'm about to say something — I'm not sure what — when she turns a dial and opens the current, releasing twenty thousand volts of electricity through my body and lighting every synapse in my nervous system on fire. I can't keep from gripping the chair arms beneath my hands, and it causes blood to seep from my new bandages. My teeth clench together, but this time, it's because I don't have a choice. I don't cry out though, and the smirk on her face fades a little before she closes the circuit.

"So talking about Kate isn't enough," she says, disappointed. "Maybe you didn't like fucking her as much as Demetri said you did. We all knew about it, you know. Especially when she started turning up after you came back from missions about Stefan and Vladimir. I'm surprised she didn't follow you into Siberia. Of course if she had, we would've been able to rid the world of her _and_ Irina. Like I said, it's too bad."

"Jane," Aro says, his tone chastising. "We need information. You will have time for your playing after I've finished."

The smirk disappears completely, replaced by the cold, detached exterior she usually displays when she isn't allowed to have her way. With a little cough, she steps back a little but doesn't move behind Aro. Of course, she'll be asking the questions he needs answers to, even if she'll also be doling out the right amount of incentive for me to answer.

"Obviously, we still want to know where the girl and her parents are," Jane says after a few minutes. She keeps her hand on the case and sort of caresses the dial. "We're sure you've sent her back to your father, but our spotters haven't sent word of her arrival. So you've either camouflaged her appearance or taken a separate route into the city. Which is it?"

That she has to ask tells me that Jasper and Emmett were successful in getting Bella through the edges of Chicago to make it to my father's base of operations. And while I'm sure Aro's men were looking for a girl with brown hair and brown eyes, I won't tell Jane that I helped in keeping her safe from Aro's eyes that seem to have stretched so far in a very short period of time.

Another jolt slips through the wires to my body, locking my joints and allowing more blood to flow.

"Both," she says, glancing at Aro.

He looks impressed, smiling. "Interesting," is all he says before she speaks again.

"The girl's parents will want to know their daughter is safe," she says. "So they'll be close. The question is who you employed to get them away. Surely not Siobhan. She doesn't have the resources, and she's no more fun since she started fucking around with Maggie."

Another jolt. I think one of my teeth cracks.

"Eleazar already has men moving through the Northwest territory," she continues. "It doesn't matter where you have them hidden. We'll find them. They'll have no loyalty to you. I'll make sure of that. If you give me a name, I might go a little easier on them before I end them."

When she pauses, obviously waiting for me, I can only think of one thing to say.

"Go to Hell, you conniving bitch!"

Her eyes glimmer in the light, and she smirks again, glancing back at the case.

"Twenty thousand volts," she says. "It's just enough to cause pain. And pain is good, trust me. Because while you feel pain, you know you're alive. But see, all I have to do is flip it up to around fifty thousand volts, and your internal organs will start to suffer permanent damage. We won't even start to discuss what it might do to your ability to have children. If you really want to have fun with your new whore, you'll give a name. If not, then I guess I'll get to have fun with her myself."

Another jolt. My head snaps back so fast that I'm sure a bone breaks. A white whip of light fills my eyes, hot and clear and deep. Oxygen is squeezed out of my lungs, and when it stops, I have to take as deep a breath as I can.

I try to talk, but I can't over the gulps of air.

Jane leans in, grinning maniacally. "Finished yet?"

For a few more breaths, I just watch her, wishing I could spit in her face but knowing that will only make her worse.

I think back to that eleven-year-old she helped torture, knowing this little kid probably just looked at her wrong or maybe got more attention than she did. Jane has a deep hatred for me because I'm more admired by everyone in Aro's organization, and her brother Alec doesn't help by feeding her the kind of lies about me like that I'm a better interrogator and it's easier for me to get the answers I want — which of course is, unfortunately for me right now, true.

"They're all safe," I say so quietly that she has to lean in a little closer. "You know they're all hidden from you. So it doesn't matter if you kill me. It doesn't matter if you torture me until I can't breathe and my heart stops beating. I've done what I promised her I would do, and for all I care, you can fry my brain until I shit and piss all over the fucking floor! You can both go to Hell!"

She stands up straight, the grin now gone, and it tells me that I've cracked through her unbreakable exterior. Then she looks at Aro, obviously looking a new line of questions.

"Right," he says. "Perhaps we should talk about your sister. I understand she's no longer in your father's safekeeping. I'm sure you know there are only a few places anyone can go that are outside my reach. So it really is only a matter of time before I find sweet Alice. My dear Jane really would have a great deal of fun then. She does love playing with the ones who scream."

This starts a new round of jolts and questions about Alice and who she's been sneaking to the Southern Extension office in Texas. Jane doesn't push the voltage up, but she continues to lengthen each jolt with every turn of the dial. My body feels like it's on fire already, and the longer this goes on, the harder it is to tell if I'm bleeding to death or hallucinating that I'm about to go to bed in my mother's home. At one point, I actually see Alice over Jane's shoulder, smiling and reaching for me.

When Aro finally decides that I've had enough, it's at this point that he feels the need to make a speech.

"You were my favorite of all the men I've trained, Edward," he says as I sit there barely hanging onto my consciousness. "It pains me so much that it was necessary to test you at all. But it was your involvement with Katrina that allowed me to see that you were beginning to lose sight of what it is we do here. I've worked too hard and pushed too many people out of my way for a field agent such as yourself to cause it all to come crashing down by sparing the life of one girl and her parents. These people deserve none of your loyalty, Edward. It was because of people like them that you were necessary to my operation. If Isabella Swan and her parents had not defied me, I would not have sent you to dispose of them. So how much loyalty can they have to you?"

He pauses and paces in front of me while Jane stands back with her arms tightly folded over her chest.

"I suppose though," he continues as he clasps his arms behind his back, "the one person I have to blame for this _is_ Carlisle. He was the one who truly caused this . . . betrayal of my trust. It's sad that I've had to resort to such violence to achieve the result I want, which is of course the complete and total obedience of all those who work for me. Carlisle couldn't abide by that where you were concerned, especially in the beginning. You were his son, and if anyone was going to teach you anything, he was going to teach you not to give yourself to me completely. I'll have to thank him for that when I've finished with you. It would give me so much pleasure for him to see this now, but I suppose it will just have to do for me to see the light leave your eyes with your submission."

Something wet and warm slips from the corners of both my eyes, and I realize that everything he's saying is having an undesired effect on me.

Am I giving up? Has Aro dug so deep inside me with his words that he's injured me and caused me to despair over the fate of my family?

I know my father will make sure my mother and sister are safe. There's absolutely no question in my mind that they might be in danger. Aro can't know where they are. My father is too careful, and he wouldn't risk their lives by being careless in his need to keep me safe.

I can take care of myself.

I'm not doing so good right now, but if it's almost over, then I know I've done what I promised. I know Bella's safe.

"You love your father, don't you?" Aro asks, reaching out and wiping one side of my face before he suddenly grabs a handful of my hair to pull my head back so he can look into my eyes with his own.

Black, emotionless glass beads gaze at me as a little spittle expels from his lips.

"Don't you know that's all I ever wanted?" he whispers in a way I know Jane can't hear. "Don't you understand that's why I always gave the harder tasks to you? It's why I made James do everything he did. I knew he would crack your hardened behavior. I told him that if he had to kill that girl in London to not hesitate. I wanted you to see that he was my second choice for this, and you did. I knew you would see it. I expected you to fail, so when you called me and told me you had succeeded, I thought you had proven me wrong. But then the bodies came, and I was once again at ease with my beliefs. You are good. You are true. And yet you lied to me and deceived me. All because of a family who will not dare remember you when you are dead."

From behind him, he suddenly pulls a double-edged knife and then presses it to my neck just under my jaw. It's razor sharp and easily cuts into my skin, allowing hot, wet blood to slip down my neck and then my chest.

"But it will be _me_ that puts you out of your misery," he hisses against my face less than a second before the light above us suddenly goes out.

His blade holds over my skin but stops cutting. I think this might be it.

If it is, I'm ready.

Bella's safe, and it's okay.

The seconds tick by, but I don't die.

"Why isn't the generator coming on?" Jane asks.

Aro doesn't answer her.

In the darkness, I think he's lost a lot of his desire to kill me because I won't be staring into his eyes while he does.

Maybe I'll bleed to death before he can realize that he's just lost his chance to get rid of me himself.

* * *

**And I'll say first that I didn't really mean to leave such a glaring cliffhanger, but for the next chapter, it's really necessary. Do you really think I'd kill Edward like this?**

**Come on, you know me better than that.**

**Also, the next chapter might be a ways off while I'll get my shit together, so stay tuned.**

**Later!**


	24. Hitting Hard & Fighting Back

**I know. Last chapter was kind of a cliffhanger, and I don't usually like those, but I've got a bit of bad news for you. The next several chapters are going to be cliffhangers. Sorry. It's just the way the story is playing out.  
**

**We all know Edward isn't going to die, don't we?**

**And here's the big surprise I've been talking about, which comes at the end of the chapter.**

**I don't own Twilight, but this story here is mine, with all its nooks and crannies.**

**Also, this is all un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are mine. (But there better not be any, so if there are, let me know.)**

**See you at the bottom!**

* * *

**Hitting Hard & Fighting Back**

In the darkness, two large hands grab my arms while another set unhinges me from the chair I've been tied to this entire time. Because I've lost so much blood and because I've just been through enough electroshock to kill an elephant, I can barely stand. This is apparently not an issue since the hands now carrying me drag me from that spot toward a more open area that feels like the storage area that occupies the space around the interrogation rooms.

"We're three floors underground," Jane says, her voice filled with something that sounds like anxiety and maybe a little fear. "If the generator's been knocked out, we have eight floors to climb if we want to get him back to your office."

We all pause, and the two lugs holding me, who must be Demetri and Felix, don't make a move until Aro speaks.

"Bring him."

So that's what they do.

They unlock a steel door that's been magnetically sealed, and they have to do it by hand while I sit on the floor still bleeding. Then we climb up staircase after staircase, through a stairwell that runs up the east side of the building all the way to the helipad on the roof. I trip three or four times, and the big one of my two handlers, Felix, of course, huffs and tossed me over his shoulder. The movement sends a new set of searing pain through my torso, and I think I throw up, because something splatters down the stairs as we climb.

"Please tell me we can kill this son of a bitch when we get him upstairs," Felix grumbles.

No one replies to him.

I black out after the fourth flight of stairs, even with the jostling, and somewhere in the distance, I hear Aro yelling that the outer defenses of his building have been breached. I don't think that's ever happened since it was built, and that was before my father came on as one of his supervisors. Aro doesn't sound . . . happy about it.

Bella's voice finds me as I hang over Felix's shoulder, telling me to hold on so she can see me again.

I want that so much, but I can feel something deep and furious tugging at my gut like it's trying to drag me down to Hell where I belong. With all her light and fire, I know she'll forgive me, but I don't know how much longer I can hold on.

When I come to, we've stopped, but now I'm sitting against the stairs as Demetri and Jane attempt to crack open one of the sealed doors to get out of the stairwell. I don't see how much good that's going to do, considering they'll still have to climb stairs to get to Aro's office.

Unless we're already there.

"No, the green wire needs to be crossed with the yellow," Demetri yells at her, aiming a bright, white-blue light at the wall panel.

"Shut the hell up!" she yells back. "It's not my goddamn fault your fucking fingers are too big to fit inside here. Don't tell me you have women lining up waiting for them after you handle all those knives."

He growls but doesn't argue with her.

My eyes roam through the space around me now that it's being illuminated by the bright light, but it's not enough for me to see anything but the immediate vicinity. Aro is standing by with a contemplative look on his face, his arms over his chest and his hands tucked under his arms. Felix is on point, his Glock held tightly between his massive hands as he stares down the stairwell at something he thinks might be getting closer to where we are. The tug in my gut is worse now, but somehow, I push myself up to my elbows to see more of the world around me.

It's not like the floors are marked, but when I look to my right, I see something that invariably tells me exactly where I am as a full moon shines through the long window that lines the wall and shows me the ceiling just twenty feet above my head.

We're on the top floor.

Maybe this means it will be over soon.

With wire cutters in hand, Jane splices and then twists the wires needed to unseal the door, and with a loud clang, it snaps open with a gentle hiss.

"Let's go," Jane orders just as a loud bang slams against the thick concrete slab floor beneath me.

I know that sound.

I would know it anywhere. That is the sound of gunfire.

Another bang echoes up the stairwell, and Felix puts his gun away instead of firing back, taking three steps toward me and then lifting me up off the stairs to toss me over his shoulder again. Another roil of vomit forces its way up and then out, and he groans loudly, hurrying after Jane and Demetri as Aro follows us and slams the door shut.

Darkness envelops us yet again despite the flashlight in Jane's hand as she guides us, and we're moving fast to get to Aro's office which is farther away than I thought. We must have gone through the south stairwell, because Aro's office is on the north side of the building. I figure another hour, and I'll pass out again.

"Who in the hell has the balls to attack this building?" Jane says through clenched teeth. "Everyone knows this place is a goddamn fortress."

"Obviously, someone has grown a pair since the last time you were out in the real world, Janie," Demetri says, teasing.

She looks over her shoulder at him, more than six or seven inches shorter than he is but completely capable of bringing him to his knees with one look. Whether he knows this or not, or simply doesn't care, isn't clear enough for me to notice a change in his expression.

We just keep walking.

"It doesn't matter who's doing this," Felix says, jostling me again. "They're going to get their insides delivered to everyone who thinks about following them."

Beams of light appear on the east side of the corridor we're running down, halting Jane and Demetri in their tracks. The sound of helicopter blades reaches my ear just before the glass shatters with more gunfire. Jane and Demetri barely have time to get out of the way, and I hear a few choice words fly out of Demetri's mouth in a way that makes me think he's been shot.

"What the fuck is that?" Jane shrieks.

"We have to go around," Aro says, directing us away from the windows, and away from the people obviously attacking him.

This means we have to go through the infirmary to get to his office.

My brain is so sluggish right now. All I can think about is floor plans and wound dimensions. How deep did Demetri stab me? Did he hit any major arteries or veins? Did Jane's electroshock change the rhythm of my heart beat so it will pump blood faster the longer I'm awake? Does Aro really think I'll still be any use to him like this?

Why hasn't he killed me yet?

More beams of light glow through the other side of the building, but we're too far away from them to get hit. Demetri is still groaning and complaining, and I feel like I should point out that I'm the one he stabbed. I should be complaining. But right now, all I can do is hang here and wait for these idiots to decide where they're going.

Finally, we make it to Aro's office, where there's tinted, bulletproof glass covering the north wall of his office. It's also reflective, so even if the lights come in, no one will be able to see what he's about to do.

Jane steps in first, shining her light in every nook and cranny of the room to make sure it hasn't been breached, and Demetri follows her, settling onto the couch to patch up the dark stain spreading over his right shoulder.

"Goddamn motherfuckers shot me!" he growls. "If I had my automatic on me, I'd blow their asses away!"

"Please shut up," Jane groans. "You sound like a five-year-old."

She makes another round with her flashlight before ordering Felix to sit me in one of the arm chairs that are parked in front of Aro's desk. The plushy cushion surprises me for a minute, but then Jane kneels over the cushion between my legs.

"He's still holding on," she says, shining the light in my eyes and waiting for my pupils to react before she looks at Aro.

There's a moment where Aro doesn't know what to do with me next, and the contemplation on his face intensifies.

Clearly, he wasn't expecting me to last this long.

"Surprised he's not a drooling mess on the floor by now," Felix comments. "How many rounds did you go through?"

A new glint of satisfaction flickers through Jane's eyes. "Ten. I thought for sure he would talk after the first few, but perhaps when we find the girl, it won't all be for nothing."

"Who in the hell is attacking us?" Demetri demands, now standing and then moving to the windows that overlook the city. "They've got helicopters and machine guns with heavy artillery rounds. Enough to pierce reenforced concrete. I thought only we had that kind of ammo."

"Clearly, you were wrong," Jane says, uncharacteristically sarcastic.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Felix asks. "We're trapped up here without the generator."

Aro doesn't answer him or comment on Jane and Demetri griping at each other. He's watching me, waiting, wondering, thinking. Why am I not dead? What am I holding on for?

I should be dead by now. I agree with him there. My heart should have given out long before I even got to Jane, and my body should have given up before we made it to the stairs that brought us up here where I know I'll die.

It's okay though.

I can die knowing that Bella's safe, because if someone's attacking Aro here in Italy, it means he won't be able to coordinate a new search for her or her parents.

"I knew we should have installed the new back-up before beginning the search for Stefan and Vladimir," Jane says, annoyed as she shines her flashlight still at me while I sit there staring at Aro. "It would've only taken a week or two to get everything switched over. And now we're sitting fucking ducks, waiting for someone to blow us out the window. Fuck, where in the hell is Alec!"

"Calm down, Jane, dear," Aro says, still watching me. "I'm sure if your brother is thinking of us, he knows we're here. We always come here when there's trouble."

She purses her lips but doesn't say anything back. She just shines her light on me.

I know I must look like shit. I'm bloody, beaten, electroshocked, bandaged with bloody dressings with blood caked in my hair and dried to every crevice of my neck and chest. I can barely feel my hands now, but every now and then, I'll twitch my fingers and pull in as deep a breath as I can so I know I'm still alive.

Aro leans in closer the longer we stand there staring at each other, and I can see that he's trying to find the answers to his questions without asking them.

Where is Bella? Why is she so special? What has she done to me to make me betray him and do something he knows my father taught me to do? Why am I still alive?

I've bled all over the place. I've vomited literally everything that's in my stomach, and I have burns up my legs from the wires wrapped around them. I feel so empty and heavy at the same time, but I can't let go.

Even if it's okay when I do, I can't.

I have to see Bella again. No Heaven or Hell will take me away from her after all the shit I've just gone through, so whenever I feel that tug, I fight it with every fucking fiber of my being. Aro's not worth being without her. Jane isn't worth losing the little grip I have left on my sanity, and neither Demetri nor Felix are worth the agony I'll know if I give up now. It will be worse than any injury I've endured thus far.

"It's not possible," Aro whispers as he stares into my eyes with a look of disbelief on his pale, pointed face. "She is no one, Edward. A little red dot on a map of other red dots that we control and move around as we see fit. There is nothing you will do with her that will ever fill the empty space in your life. You know that's why you agreed to do this eight years ago. Your father agreed because of the death threats, but you agreed because you wanted to have the kind of power you'd only ever heard of. And you cannot deny that now."

He's right. I can't. It's true. I was selfish and stupid.

But I was eighteen.

That stops me before it can go any further.

Bella's eighteen. She trusts me. I think she loves me.

Whatever I did when I was eighteen, it doesn't have anything to do with what I'm doing now, and it won't rule my existence for the rest of my life. When I started training with Aro, I was young and blind, and it took a year of training and another seven to learn that the world was filled with more darkness and death than anyone could possibly every hope to extinguish. For a while, I thought I was helping to do that, especially with egotistical, psychotic bastards like Stefan and Vladimir.

But this one thing has completely opened my eyes.

It's not that I'm trying to see good in everyone now. Trust me when I say that Jane is a long-gone lost cause, and Demetri and Felix are no better. Aro is a soulless monster that has no sympathy or compassion for anyone who even has the potential of getting in his way. There is no good in any of the people in the room with me. But saving Bella has made me see something that I should've known all along.

I have to drag in as deep a breath as I can to do what I'm about to do, but when I do, Aro makes it very obvious that I have his full attention.

"She's more worth this than I can ever say," I tell him so softly that he has to lean in to hear me. "I was a kid when I came here, and even if I was selfish about why I came, I was still better than everyone else. I trained harder than anyone and I never complained, not even when I had a goddamn mark try to cut my heart out. I had that hard exterior because if I didn't, I wouldn't have lasted a week. And I have my father to thank for that, because he told me it would have to be that way. I never broke, and that pissed you off. So you kept sending me on missions you thought would accomplish that, but it never happened. But it was you who sent me to take out Stefan, and it was your fault we had to kill Irina. It was your responsibility to make sure everything was handled, and you fucked that up. Sending me to kill Bella was the single-most biggest mistake of your life, and even if I don't live to see you pay for it, you will. That's a promise.

"Isabella Swan is stronger and wiser and more compassionate than you will ever dream of being, and she will know what you've done no matter what you think you might be able to do to silence her. Kill me, cut me up into pieces and ship me back to Chicago for all I care. At least I'll be home, and they'll probably bury me next to my grandfather — you know, the man who had to die for you to gain the position you have now."

Aro's beady eyes bug out, and for some reason, I grin.

"That's right," I tell him. "When you die, no one you know will be here to take over your work. No one but my father. And we all know how you feel about him."

He charges at me like he's going to hit me or knock me over, but instead, he grabs my head again and yanks it back so that we're eye to eye. "_No one_ in my organization will follow a weak man like him," he hisses. "And _no one_ will ever take this operation away from me! Not you, not your father, not anyone who thinks I will just lay down and let them. I will always fight for what is mine, until Hell freezes over!"

Without releasing me, he reaches over and grabs the Glock in Felix's hand, pulling back the hammer and sliding his finger over the trigger as he presses the barrel under my chin.

"I think we've talked long enough, Edward," he says, his eyes crazed as his mouth twitches. He clenches his teeth and grips the handle a little tighter.

I want to close my eyes, to think of Bella and my mother, to see my sister and my father one last time. But if Aro thinks I'm going to give up like this, he's got another thing coming, because I can stare him down until it's over. And I will.

A loud bang echoes around the room without the flash of a gun, and Jane staggers away from where I'm sitting, grasping onto her neck and then falling to the ground. This surprises Aro enough for him to release me and stand up straight. Felix moves toward where the bang came from and is immediately attacked. Because Jane has dropped her flashlight, all I can see are silhouettes shuffling around with grunts and groans and . . . punches. Demetri moves in then, his own nine-millimeter held high, but this invisible entity attacks him too, knocking the gun from his hand and overpowering him with such ease, there's only one person it can be.

Someone's who's trained here and knows all his moves.

Aro moves in front of me with the Glock, aiming it and thinking he can shoot them before they get to him.

"One more move," he yells, "and you will die."

A soft laugh taunts him, moving closer until a new stream of light blasts into the room and illuminates the whole room, illuminating her.

Irina.

At first, I think my eyes are playing tricks on me.

I saw her die in Siberia. I'm sure of it.

But I know her face. I would know it in my sleep. Her sharp, manicured eyebrows. Her blue-green eyes, and that smirk she always had because she was the one person who was better than me.

She's alive.

And she's holding a gun on the man in front of me.

* * *

**I know, right? I bet you weren't expecting that, huh? I'll admit I kind of had this planned all along, but I had to keep it quiet to deliver the right reaction. **

**What do you think?**

**Anyway, the next chapter will be a little more insightful, so stay tuned.**

**Later!**


	25. Secrets of the Past

**Good Morning! And I hope we've all had a good week, because this chapter is a wham-doozle! It's an Irina that no one will expect, and I've read quite a few versions of her character that were outrageous. We're about to find out something very important, so pay attention. **

**I don't own Twilight, but this Russian Bitch portrayal is mine. Irina still belongs to SM.**

**Also, this is all un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are mine.**

**Some more important stuff at the bottom!**

* * *

**Secrets of the Past**

She is dressed completely in white, from the five inch heels to the ribbed, turtle neck sweater and skintight pants. While she's carrying a small silver pistol in one hand, her other hand is carrying a white ski mask. One would think black would be better because it's so dark, but I now know how Jane didn't see her because Aro's walls are stark white.

Only Irina would know this and be able to use it to her advantage.

"Impossible."

This is the first thing that Aro says after she steps into the light that's revealed her to him, and she smirks, still holding her pistol high and taking her steps forward slowly.

"Of course not, yes?" she says, the Russian accent in her voice thicker than I remember. "But I would not be here unless Vladimir knew something he is not meant to know. And that is something very valuable to him, especially because it is Edward who possesses it. Vladimir is very interested in helping anyone who knows how to bring you down."

Aro shrieks softly, obviously shaken by this turn of events, and he drops his gun, staring at her like she's a ghost and probably wondering how any of this is even happening.

"What?" she teases, still smirking. "You didn't honestly think I would go anywhere so remote with Stefan, did you?"

The man who just a few minutes ago was ready to put a bullet in my brain is so stunned by her appearance that he stumbles back into his desk, unable to even form a new sentence as a witty comeback.

Very few people have the ability to render Aro speechless, but Irina has done just that.

Though I can't speak because I'm pretty much drained of every ounce of energy I had left, my mind is turning cartwheels trying to figure this out too.

I saw her when James pulled her out of the car in Siberia.

Granted, it was snowing heavily, and it was dark. I wasn't wearing night goggles, and I didn't actually get close enough to see her face. But the woman I heard scream sounded just like her. I don't know her as well as I do her sisters, but there are things about her I'm well versed in, like her smirk and her voice and her Russian superiority — something she's gained because she's earned it.

How did she manage to find a woman who sounded like her and would react the same way she would have if what happened actually did? I spent months following Stefan and Vladimir, and I knew their every move. I saw her get into the car before it left for the safe house.

I saw her.

While I'm sitting here trying to figure out how she fooled me, Irina moves in just close enough to be only a few feet from me. But she's not paying me any attention. In fact, it's like she doesn't even know I'm there as she still aims her pistol at Aro.

He's almost hyperventilating now, gripping the Glock and aiming it at the floor like that's going to do him any good right now.

Then Irina does something neither Aro nor I expect.

"The only reason I defected to the Romanians was to deliver information," she tells Aro calmly like it's common knowledge. "You sent me there thinking I would bring it back to you, and that was your first mistake. I am not your whore. I do not do what you want, and when you tried to do the same thing to my sisters, I knew it was time to stop you. The story of my marriage to Stefan was just that — a story. He is nearly as despicable as you, and twice as disgusting. Though his bodyguard is much more to my taste, and he never cared, as long as I knew when you were planning to move."

Aro sent Irina to Stefan for information. This is nothing new to me. A lot of the female operatives are used this way. It's not fair and isn't something I agree with, but it's the way Aro chooses to use them. It's also one of the reasons why my father never allowed Alice to come anywhere near Italy until after she was well trained in gun handling.

But a whore? Why would he do that?

Irina was one of the best he had, better than me, and there were so many other things he could've done with her abilities. Why waste her on a mission like this when he knew I was closing in?

Before I can answer my own questions, Irina speaks again, this time lowering her eyes to me, acknowledging me for the first time.

"We were planning our assault when Stefan was marked," she says, recognition and maybe even relief sparking in her eyes. "We sent a prostitute from Vladimir's escort pool in my place. I told her to pretend she was his wife, and I made sure she was wearing my clothes. I'm guessing she performed perfectly based on your reaction to seeing me."

She smirks again for a split second, but then she lifts her eyes to Aro and glares.

"Then we discovered the new assignment."

Some kind of emotion I've never seen on her face makes a new appearance.

Regret and . . . annoyance.

"I tried to tell Carlisle it was a trap," she says without looking at me, "but he refused to listen. No way in Hell would Aro set up his precious Edward, his son. That was the whole point."

Without taking her pistol off Aro, Irina steps up next to me and lays her hand over my shoulder, still not looking at me but clearly speaking to me.

"He was going to make an example of you to Carlisle for people who held more favor than he did. After you, it was going to be your mother, your sister, everyone who had ever helped you. I had to get a message to you."

She stops talking, squeezes my shoulder and takes another step toward Aro.

"So I leaked Vladimir's location and made my way here. I knew I would have barely enough time given the movements I had to make from St. Petersburg, but it was worth it to see the look on this pitiful excuse of man's face when he realizes that he has fucked up his last chance at destroying everyone who could bring him down."

Because I'm weak and can't lift my head from the back of the chair, I'm staring up at her face when tears well in her eyes and a glare penetrates Aro's trembling body.

"No more, you evil, sadistic bastard," she warns. "No more selling us and expecting us to do your bidding, you worthless, spineless pimp! I am not your whore! No more!"

The tears in her eyes spill down her cheeks, shimmering in the light as she composes herself and backs up so that she's again standing in front of me with her pistol still aimed at Aro. He hasn't move a muscle since his legs have met his desk, but I can't look to see if anything she's saying is making any difference to him.

Based on everything she's saying, this is all Aro has used Irina for, but I know she's not the only one. I've never personally had to compromise myself that way even though I've come close. I know a few of the others who've been sent on missions that required them to do undesirable things to get the job done, Tanya being one of them, and I know it changed her. She's damn good with a long range rifle, but she also has an exterior thicker than the Earth's crust. That's why she acts the way she does to the male operatives — to protect herself.

I'm sitting here wondering how many others have actually had to do this. I only know a handful of the people working for Aro. How many of them have been told to do the same thing as Irina? A few, half, more than half?

"Based on everything my sisters told me," Irina says after she's regained her composure, "I knew Edward would give himself to the guards if the girl was safe. And with her safe, it means I get to rid the world of you, you monster!"

Something she's just said has cracked through Aro's surprise and paralysis, and I can just barely make out him clenching his teeth, turning his eyes to hers and raising the Glock to aim it at her. Irina is immediately on point, locking her legs and bringing both her hands to the handle of her pistol.

"Now, now, my dear Irina," Aro says with his voice back in its usual emotionless tone. "We all know you volunteered to go to Romania, and we all know you had your bags packed days before you came to me and told me you could get me what I wanted. Is it really my fault it was the only way you thought you could be useful?"

"I made you think that," she grinds out though her own clenched teeth. "I wanted you to believe I wanted to go. It was the only way you would allow it. But in Hungary and Bulgaria and Ukraine, that was all your doing!"

"You're a beautiful girl," he tells her. "It would have been ignorant of me to not use your beauty to my advantage, and let's face it, we both know you enjoyed it."

She growls and screams at him. "Lies! You never gave me a choice! And you lied to my father, telling him I was no good at anything else! Don't forget I am the one who just tore down the walls to your fortress!"

Aro laughs, taunting her. "Oh, dear, let's not forget either what this is really about. I remember it now. This is why I decided to send you to Romania. Yes, it was a civilian. I believe he was some sort of attache to the Bulgarian Embassy. What was his name again? Oh, yes. Laurent."

"Do not speak his name!" she orders, squeezing the trigger of her pistol and firing but missing as the bullet hits the glass behind Aro.

He laughs again. "But it's such a wonderful thing to talk about. I can still remember hearing back from Diego and Riley. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw you with him for the first time, but I did. I knew you were weak, and this only proved my point. So after your assignment was finished and you were planning on taking him to Romania with you, I sent Felix in to take care of him."

Irina is sobbing now, still holding her pistol but unable to squeeze off another round because she's shaking so badly.

Everything Aro is saying is making me question everything about Irina I thought I knew. She fell in love with a civilian? How is that possible? And how could she be that stupid? Didn't she know it would end the way it did?

If she'd loved this man, she wouldn't have gotten involved with him at all.

I might as well be talking to myself.

Why didn't I kill Bella when I first saw her? I don't know. It was wrong, and she was so young. How could she have possibly done anything to Aro for him to want her dead? The truth of it though is that I made that call. I was the one who felt wrong doing it, and it was my decision to keep her alive. I didn't plan on feeling these things for her I do, and I know I don't have any control over them anymore.

But it's my fault she's in danger. It's my fault she had to run, and it's all my fault that I might die before I tell her what I'm feeling.

I can't blame Irina for this. She probably didn't have any more control over loving this man Aro killed than I did disobeying his orders. He never planned on me caring about Bella or maybe even loving her. All he knows is that we've both gone against him, and to him, this is punishable by death.

"You murderous son of a bitch!" Irina yells. "He never did anything to you. He was innocent!"

"No one is innocent!" Aro shrieks at her. "Not to me, and not when they get in my way. That's why you're the tools and I'm the one who wields you as I see fit! None of you will ever stop me! I am completely invincible, you treacherous little slut! I told your father you would betray us, and now look at what you've done! First, I'll kill you, and then I'll put poor Edward here out of his misery. After that, everyone else you love will die, including your mother!"

She screams again and squeezes the trigger of her pistol just as he does, and the noise is so deafening that I think I lose most of my left eardrum because both their guns go off right next to my head.

Instantly, the ringing overpowers everything else, and my eyes close all on their own. I can't move except to hold my breath and wait for the next part to be over.

Aro never misses. He never aims unless he knows he won't miss. Irina is less than twenty feet from him. She doesn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of dodging his bullet.

I know this. It's the only thing that makes sense. And soon, Aro will aim at me.

He won't miss, and then I'll die.

But then a small hand grabs my face and then an even smaller body slams into mine, knocking me and the chair into the floor.

My head slams against the marble floor but the rest of me is cushioned from the fall as Irina pins me to the floor. I think for a minute she might go ahead and finish what Aro started, but when she touches my face again and smooths my hair from my face.

"It's all right," she whispers. "Open your eyes. I shot him. He's down."

I'm so dizzy and weak and aching that I can't obey her commands. She has to drag me out of the chair to look over my injuries.

"Edward, we must move. Now. Come!"

Whispered words leave my mouth, but even I can't hear myself. She leans in closer, still holding her gun high.

"I can't walk," I breathe just loud enough.

"You must," she orders, getting back on her feet and wrapping her arms around me to pull me up.

She's stronger than I remember too, able to hold my weight on her tiny frame and then start walking toward the door.

"Where did you hit him?" I think to ask after a few steps.

"I don't know," she says. "But I hit him. We must move. Quickly."

She's half-walking, half-dragging me across the room, but my feet won't work right to help her along.

I wish I knew where she shot Aro, because anywhere else but his head and —

Irina's body jerks just before we make it to the door, and because I'm so goddamn weak, we both go down.

This is when I look back and see Aro on his feet with the Glock aimed at us both, having risen to his feet and regained his aim.

* * *

**NO! Another cliffhanger! What have I done? *rubs hands together evilly* You'll see.**

**Now, did you expect that at all? Irina weaves an interesting story, doesn't she? But how much of it is true? Surely, Carlisle wouldn't keep information like that from Edward. We'll have to wait and find out.**

**Oh! I now have a FictionPress account. alexajaye1379 is my name, and telling fantasy romance stories is my game. Look me up and let know what you think, and I will be eternally grateful.**

**Next chapter for this story still has to be edited, but stay tuned. It could be ready any time.**

**Later!**


	26. Sins of the Father

**So, Irina. Wasn't seeing that coming, were you? Well, then I bet you won't see this coming either. I promise I'm not purposefully trying to be evil. It's just sort of happening that way.**

**This chapter's a little shorter than the others. We're still in the thick of things, even with the short lull in the middle of the chapter, and Edward still isn't out of the woods.**

**I don't own Twilight, but that Glock that passed from Felix to Aro? It's all mine, and soon, it'll belong to Edward.**

**Also, this is all un-beta'd, so any lingering mistakes are all mine.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Sins of the Father**

It takes less than two seconds for me to realize that Irina has been shot, and for another several instances, I think she's dead.

But then she moves.

Somehow, my strength is returning. Maybe it's because she's here now and has given me some kind of reprieve from all the beating and torturing. Maybe it's because I've realized how much like her I am, how much like me she is. I would've never imagined it in my entire life. Irina Denali and I actually have something in common.

Or we did.

Tears are still streaming from her eyes when she opens them slowly, and I hear Aro moving closer to us before my muscles have the ability to move again for the first time in hours when I grab her and pull her to me.

This is when I hear more gunfire outside the doors, and we're stuck in the doorway, unable to move from where we fell. The gunfire might be from other guards from the security stations downstairs, and if it is, Irina and I are both dead.

There's yelling and screaming, and it sounds like they're getting closer.

Just as I'm about to sit up so I might be able to push the doors open, the one opposite us breaks in, splintering off its hinges. I don't bother looking up, pulling Irina with me and rolling out of the room into the dark corridor where the gunfire is louder and the men causing it are closer. While I can, I hold Irina in front of me, spreading my hands over her back to feel for her wounds.

"Edward."

My name comes not from Irina but from above me, and I look up to see a dark figure there with their rifle aimed at me.

Then the mask and goggles are pulled off, and a light at the end of the rifle shines on his face. His green eyes and blond hair.

"Peter."

He doesn't say anything else, grabbing me and pulling me up as another dark figure grabs Irina to carry her.

"We figured you'd be in Aro's office," Peter said. "But we weren't expecting any of Vladimir's men to be here. Where's Aro?" he asks as a newer, heavier shot pierces the air, barely missing the four of us as we hurry from Aro's office toward the infirmary. "Never mind."

Quickly, and with several more shots claiming the walls and furniture around us, we make it to a wall barrier between us and the man shooting at us. Peter and the man with him who has yet to reveal himself fire back as we sit there, and while they do this, I sit there trying to regain a little bit of my sanity.

"Carlisle ordered us here as soon as Jasper and Emmett got to Chicago," Peter says. "We would've been here sooner, but it took a tranquilizer strong enough for an elephant to keep Siobhan from coming with us. We had to wait until she was out to leave. You look like shit, by the way."

I try to laugh, but all I really do is smirk. He looks back at his partner, and together, they gather up me and Irina, moving farther away from where they stopped and closer to the infirmary. Once we're there, I guess he thinks we'll be safe. But that won't be possible until we get out of this building.

Because it's situated in the middle of the floor and surrounded by reinforced titanium, the infirmary is probably the safest place in the entire building, and Peter obviously knows this even though I don't think he's ever been here. The only person who could've told him is my father. He and his partner close us all in and immediately go to work on me and Irina. The fact that Peter knows his way around his room is astonishing at first, but then I remember that he's been spending a lot of time with Charlotte, and it all makes sense then.

Finally, his partner takes off his mask, revealing a head of curly brown hair and tan skin, but I don't know who this is. Since Irina and I are both in pretty bad shape, I guess I don't have a good reason to object when he and Peter start working on our injuries. I'm amazed that Irina isn't dead or bleeding to death, and when I see the bullet hole in her shirt, I'm confused, especially when Peter cuts off her shirt to reveal a white bullet proof vest over her under shirt that's been molded to her chest.

Apparently, she's in much better shape than me even when I see a bruise forming over her back when Peter removes the vest — a still red, turning blue-black-purple bruise that looks about as angry as a pit bull.

"Well, that's a relief," Peter says with a sigh.

Irina laughs but then groans. "Easy for you to say. I think he broken one or two of my ribs."

Peter allows his partner to step over Irina to help her while he turns to me to look over my bloody torso. "They got you good, didn't they?" he jokes.

I don't say anything back, laughing and groaning myself before he starts to assess the damage.

For a long time, probably forty-five minutes, he stands over me, injecting two or three drugs, unwrapping, cleaning and then redressing the wounds on my arms, and finally suturing the cut under my jaw where Aro tried to slit my throat. He spreads a soothing salve around my ankles and makes me swish some weird-tasting liquid around my mouth that burns but then cleans out all the blood and vomit. After all of that, he takes a series of vitals to make sure I'll live.

"How much electroshock did they do?" he asks while doing this.

"I lost count after five or six. Are all my teeth still together?"

This makes him laugh. "I think so, why?"

I shake my head. "No reason."

He laughs again and moves back to get another syringe filled with more clear liquid. "We only have fifteen more minutes before the Alpha Team gets here," he says. "Once they've finished securing the building, we'll have no time to vacate before the rest of Aro's men arrive. So you need to be able to walk, and the only way I can ensure that is to give you a nice boost of adrenaline."

Every pore of my skin hurts. Every wrinkle on my fingers aches. Every time my heart beats, a new pain sears through my body. But he's right. I have to walk out of here. No one can carry me.

"The good thing for you is that most of the shit in this infirmary is all damn near futuristic in its purpose. Including the suture kits I just used on your arms and the salve I just put on your legs. Where are your goddamn shoes anyway?"

"Gone."

He nods. "I figured. Well, then I guess we'll have to give you an antibiotic to fight off infections. Which one do you want first?"

"The one that hurts less," I say immediately before latching onto something else he just said. "What do you mean, the Alpha Team? Aren't you part of the Alpha Team?"

He pulls another syringe out to fill it with another clear substance, attempting to be gentle as he stabs it into my arm, and when I wince, so does he. "Sorry," he says. "You probably feel worse than you look. Last one." He jabs my arm once more, and this time, the feeling is immediate.

It's like I've been injected with liquid fire, feeling it coursing through my veins to my heart that speeds up furiously and gasping as air gushes into my lungs. I sit up less than a second after he finishes, grabbing my chest and squeezing my eyes shut as brilliant red light flickers across my pupils.

"Shit!"

Peter laughs and slaps me on the back. "Always love it when people do that. But seriously, we've only got about ten more minutes, so find a shirt, and we'll get out of here."

He doesn't give me a chance to argue, moving away to get his pack and his automatic as it all sets next to the door. I know we don't have time, but I need answers before I go anywhere or so anything. There's only one person who can give them to me.

As gingerly as I can, I step down from the first exam table and move around to face Irina as she lays propped up on her elbow while she's being checked out. First, I think to ask the young man's name who's standing over her.

"Benjamin," he says with a strange accent. Middle Eastern maybe, or Egyptian. "Benjamin Mahir. I was recruited by Carlisle some years ago as a teenager. It was not until this mission that he decided to call me. He speaks of you often."

This is the last thing he says before going on in his exam of Irina's ribs, and I take it as enough before I lean over to face her.

"Did you really come here to help me?" I ask her. "Or did you only want to get your chance at Aro before Vladimir got here?"

Her blue-green eyes swivel back toward Benjamin and Peter, contemplating before she looks at me again. "Both."

"And how did you know I would be here?" I demand. "Why did you make me think you were dead? You knew Kate and Tanya would find out. How could you — "

"They knew the dangers when we were forced into this life," she says through clenched teeth, though it seems more like because she's in pain as opposed to being angry. "And you have no business talking down to me when it was you who killed Stefan with a bullet to his brain."

My surprise must be something she was expecting, because she smirks again.

"Cameras, Edward," she says. "Recording devices. Stefan and Vladimir were both paranoid, even after I assured them I was no longer working for Aro. They agreed to stop hunting my sisters, and I gave them every bit of intel I had — which by that point was considerable."

For a reason unknown to me now, the way she looks at me and the words she uses make me realize something else. "You leaked Vladimir's location to get a fix on where I was, didn't you?"

She nods.

"And you still waited until now to reveal yourself. Because you knew the power would go off. Because you knew how to weaken the system and overload it, which would make the back-up generator useless, since it only kicks on when the building is actually under attack."

"Knowing this building inside and out helps doesn't it?" she says with a small grin.

I nod, agreeing. "But all that stuff you said about my father. You were just saying it to make Aro angry, right? It doesn't make sense for him to keep something like that from me. I talked to him just after I left Bella's house. He was just as upset as ever."

"I called your father while you were on your way back to Italy from the hotel in Russia," she tells me. "I told him what I knew, and I made sure he understood. He knew, Edward. And if he did not tell you, then he did not believe Aro would ever target you. I did not want to believe it either, but it was true. Your father knew. If he did not tell you, he must have had other reasons, because I told him where I was going, and he did not object or offer to help. I do not know why. I only know what I told him."

It doesn't make sense. My father tells me everything I need to know before I walk into a situation that could lead to me being targeted — by anyone, especially someone who wants me dead. If he knew that I was walking into a trap, he would've told me. There's no reason why he wouldn't, even if he didn't think Aro would look at me as a threat after what I did. But I'm thinking of every word he said and the tone of his voice, and there was no indication that he knew it was going to happen.

Why didn't he tell me?

I can't blame Irina for this. The truth of it is in her eyes, and I know she's not lying.

She saved my life when no one else could.

For the first time since I met her, I reach for Irina's hand to hold it in mine and lean in closer until the side of my face is against hers. "Thank you for coming to get me," I whisper to her. "I would be dead if you hadn't come. And I'm sorry about the man you loved. Maybe one day, you'll tell me about him."

She doesn't say anything to me. She doesn't have time to. Only half a minute after Benjamin injects something into her back near her bruise, a loud bang shakes the room, indicating that someone — or more than one group of someones — is trying to breach the defenses around the infirmary. While I'm helping Irina with her shirt and finding one of my own, Peter and Benjamin reload their weapons and strap on their bags in anticipation of leaving. The instant I'm close, Peter looks at me and then shifts a nine-millimeter into my hands.

"Just in case," he says,

I nod, and he does too before looking at Benjamin.

"Aro's men will be focusing on the Alpha Team's approach," Peter says. "But we also heard some Romanian on the way up here, so Vladimir has breached the building as well. Both of you stay between me and Benjamin and don't move from between us for any reason. Understand? You both stay on my ass."

I nod, and Irina does as she takes another pistol from an ankle cuff under her pants. To be sure I won't lose her, I grab her hand and look at Peter, waiting for his signal to run.

Benjamin positions himself behind Irina, and Peter grabs to handle to the door of the infirmary, yanking it back to open it just as another loud bang shakes the room and causes some of the glass objects on the counters to shatter.

We're on the west side of the building and will have to turn north when we leave him to stay out of the gunfire that's apparently surrounding out little haven. I think to point this out to Peter, but he seems to be on top of things, kicking the door open so that it will shield us a little and then stepping into the corridor to push me ahead of him.

I go easily, pulling Irina behind me and then turning right to go north which is where the wall will keep us safe until we can reach the north stairwell.

Even with my left ear damaged and less then a full body of blood coursing through my veins, I think I hear the voices coming from the north side of the building before anyone else does. I only know a little Romanian, but a few words I recognize are _coward_, _bastard_ and _prick_. Everything else is kind of jarbled.

Irina hears them next, grabbing Peter's arm to alert him to this. "We are about to get pinned here if we do not move now," she yells over a newer, louder bang that shakes the wall behind us.

Peter looks at me, and I nod. He huffs and reaches for me, pulling me to my feet as I pull her, and we move away from the north wall of the infirmary less than ten seconds before a new band of men carrying guns blast through the reinforced steel door leading to the stairwell.

I know without thinking that these are Vladimir's men, because he's standing right out in front of them.

* * *

**Shit Storm alert! How many people will make it out alive? I'm the only one who really knows, but can you guess? Just one tiny little guess.**

**Next chapter might be a little ways off, but worry not, we're in this till the end.**

**Everybody have a great Sunday!**


	27. Old Enemies

**I know. It's been a little while, but I promise I've been working on this. I want to keep the level of suspense up to par with the rest of the story, and trust me when I say that kind of stuff can't be rushed, so to speak.**

**Anyway, here's the new chapter.**

**I don't own Twilight. Plain and simple.**

**Also, I edit my own stories, but I'm human, so I might have missed a few things. If so, let me know, and we'll see about getting it fixed.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Old Enemies**

If dying bloody and painful was my goal when I left Italy over a week ago to kill Bella and her parents while battling with my stupid, homicidal partner who thoroughly and violently raped an eighteen-year-old girl on the way to Forks and then tried to kill me all because he was told to by the man who sent us there in the first place, I've almost succeeded.

The problem is that I'm not dead. And I've still got to get through an entire building full of men who will kill me on sight because they know who I am and what I've done. Just because I have two sharp shooters and an expert tactician at my disposal, it doesn't change the fact that I'm only a third of the person I was eight days ago. Then there are all of Vladimir's men to deal with, along with Vladimir.

Peter moves first, shoving us all out of the way as the Romanians blow through the north stairwell door with guns blazing, and we get pinned behind the door of the infirmary as it barely covers us from the incoming fire of Aro's men. They've made it to the top floor, and I know we won't make it out of this if we stay here.

It's either the shot of adrenaline or the fact that I now know I have a decent shot of surviving this that's made my hearing and vision a little better than it should be, and I'm looking everywhere while still keeping Irina next to me. There has to be a way for us to get out.

"We're too close to the north side of the building," Peter yells over the shooting and Romanian and a little Italian.

"Aro's men can keep the Romanians busy," I yell back. "If we sit here, they'll pick us off like sitting ducks."

"So what do you suggest?" Irina demands. "You are already weak, and I just disposed of my body armor. We are not equipped to fight two groups of heavily armed men who would sooner shoot us than stop to make sure we're not armed or the ones they're here to take."

Still looking around, I see gun lights shining in every direction, muzzle flashes from multiple guns blazing and getting closer to where we are and a thatch of blond hair illuminated by a light all the way at the other end of the corridor of this building. There are really only two people confident enough to run into a building like this without a helmet. And Jasper knows not to leave Bella alone until she's safe.

So this must be my father.

My father is here.

He's here with the Alpha team.

Why is he here?

"Edward!" Irina yells, shaking my shoulder. "We cannot stay here!"

The way she shakes me makes me look at Peter, and he analyzes our situation in an instant.

"To the right!"

None of us hesitate, rising from our hiding spot and moving off toward the west side of the floor that's relatively free of gunfire even though the glass is cracked and only needs a little nudge to break free. Our movement is camouflaged by the darkness, but every time a light shines in our direction, bullets fly toward us and force us to take cover. Thankfully, none of our intended shots meet their targets.

In the midst of all this, I'm still stuck on the fact that my father is here.

Surely, he has to know that doing this will put him in just as much danger as I was in just an hour earlier with Aro holding a gun to my head. How can he be acting so recklessly? It doesn't make sense. He knows I can take care of myself.

There's Romanian and Italian curse words flying through the air along with orders and movement tactics, and every time I peek over the barriers between us them, I see Vladimir and his men advancing toward where Aro is leading his own band toward the north side of the building where he obviously thinks I still am. But I also see the Alpha team behind them, spreading out along the south end of the floor and positioning to take out both groups if necessary.

It's not something that's been done that I've ever seen, especially since Aro never sends in extraction teams for any of his agents. His policy is if you get caught, you do the time. If you happen to get stuck in enemy territory, you get yourself out or you die.

My father has been busy, training men who are loyal to him to do something like this in the event that a man down needed to be retrieved from a situation that would normally be impossible to get out of. And it looks like they've done it before, because based on the way they spread, this isn't the first time they've worked for him or done this very thing inside this building. But how?

We move further down the west side of the floor next to the window, still hunkered down and getting closer to the southern exit, and I'm still trying to figure this out. More gunfire sprays in our direction, hitting the glass and spraying it everywhere. Because I'm still barefoot, this only makes matters worse and before we make it to the doors, I have to sit down. I've been through too much, and it just keeps getting worse.

"Edward, we have to keep moving," Peter orders. "There are too many of them between us and the Alpha team."

Benjamin nods in agreement even though he says nothing.

Only Irina understands that I don't have enough strength left to do something like this right now. She helps me sit up and then kneels beside me.

"No," she says softly. "He needs to rest. Keep watch. We have a few minutes until we must move again."

Peter huffs but doesn't argue, nodding to Benjamin to do as she says, and they flank us instantly to keep an eye on everything around us.

"Thank you," I whisper to her.

Her touch becomes gentle as she lifts my arms to look at the new bandages, and while she doesn't say anything, I know she understands.

Despite the gunfire and shouting and men dying around us, I have this strange ability to concentrate on everything I've seen so far. Aro wondering why I wouldn't die, Irina emerging from the shadows of his office alive, my father showing up with the Alpha team to retrieve me, and something I don't even have a word for surges up inside me.

It fights and claws and rears its ugly head until there's only one option. There's only one thing I can do in the state I'm in.

I have to know if my father really let me walk into a trap in the hopes that I would follow his guidance and not kill an innocent family. Did he really withhold the kind of information that he knew would make me withdraw from an obviously bad situation and still put all of us in danger? He has to have known that I wouldn't follow an order like this no matter what I've done in the past for Aro or in search of psychos like Stefan and Vladimir. He knows me better than just about anyone.

Doesn't he?

"You did the right thing, Edward," Irina says to me as we sit there. "Saving her and her family. It was wrong for her to die, and it was wrong for her parents to die for defying a monster. And it would be wrong for you to die because of the same thing. My sister was right. You are a good man. She followed you because you are good, and she died for you because you are good. Don't let someone like Aro destroy everything you believe."

It's almost like she's telepathic, listening to the way I'm thinking and answering all my questions without hearing them.

"He won't," I tell her. "But I still have to know why."

She glances at Peter and Benjamin, obviously thinking and then maybe agreeing with me. I don't know if she understands, but it's clear to me that she wouldn't be here if she hadn't wanted answers herself. Knowing that I killed Stefan and probably freed her of a life of misery has made her my greatest ally at the moment, even with Peter and Benjamin guarding us, and if she knows what I want, then I know she'll help me.

"Time to go," she says, helping me up and then moving off without giving Peter and Benjamin enough time to get ahead of us and check the corners to make sure we're not walking into a wall of gunfire.

"Wait," he yells, but it's too late.

She and I are on our own now, and with just barely enough strength left in my body, I guide her toward where I'm sure I saw my father with the Alpha team.

In the short minutes we rested, several things have happened that I wasn't anticipating. Aro's men are now moving in two directions. One is still moving toward Vladimir's men but not doing so well at dispatching them. The second is now moving toward the Alpha team my father is station in front of, and they're holding up better than I expected. Even with a bum shoulder, Demetri has moved out in front of Aro's group that's hitting Vladimir, and now Felix is leading the charge against my father. Just like the coward he is, Aro is behind all of them. He must think I'm with them, though I don't know how he can think that.

The gun in my hand is the only thing I need to do what I want, and it's this new determination that pushes me forward in the hope that I can reach my father before either of us is shot. Irina moves with me perfectly, keeping her eyes on everything just like I am and even watching Peter and Benjamin as they rush to keep up with us.

I'm only going to get one shot at this, and I can't waste it.

"Edward, where are you going?" Peter yells. "We have to get you downstairs."

I don't answer him because my actions should speak loud and clear as to where I'm going and what I'm doing. Whether he realizes this or not, I don't care. Not now.

It's this moment when Vladimir's men decide to push it up a notch, breaking out the explosives and tossing them toward Aro's first group. The first one hits in a loud crash of steel and concrete, taking out pieces of the barrier behind us and pushing us all forward whether we like it or not. The second makes another loud bang and tosses pieces of equipment from the floor over the barrier where we are, and it narrowly misses Benjamin as he dodges under it at the trail of our quartet, and a third blast finally hits its mark, taking out Demetri and the four men with him as they fly through the air and land over the wall between me and Irina and Peter and Benjamin. We're separated for a few seconds before realizing that Demetri is clinging to a grenade himself, and before we can scurry out of the way fast enough, it detonates, smashing the wall and sending pieces of flesh and concrete everywhere.

Fire and fumes prevent me from seeing anything at first, but once it clears, I see Peter and Benjamin on the other side of the rubble, alive. He waves us off and then nods for Benjamin to follow him around to the south doors.

This is my chance. If I go now, it's a good chance that the obstacles that were in front of us are gone.

Irina grabs my arm, and we're running again, toward the space between the Alpha team and Felix.

The edge of the barrier comes much sooner than I thought it would, and we're pinned for what feels like too long until Irina speaks.

"Go," she orders. "I will cover you as best as I can."

I hesitate even though I know I don't have time, and she looks at me.

"Go! Now!"

She takes my gun and begins firing, and my feet move before I can think.

A pillar protects me halfway, and I choose that moment to look for my father.

He's there in front of a group of his own men, shooting his own gun and putting himself in danger. For a reason I don't know, he glances in my direction.

I know he sees me. There's no way he can't. Even in the abundant darkness, there's just enough light to illuminate me for him to see.

He moves, and then I move.

His footsteps are as unsure as mine are, but we're moving toward each other nonetheless, and whether I need to at this exact moment or not, I'm going to get to him.

He shouts something behind him — I can't hear what — and in an instant, everything slows down. The seconds become minutes, and with every excruciating step, the distance between us only seems to get wider instead of closer.

He ducks something, and instinctively, so do I. A sharp pain pierces my side, spreading heat through my gut and then up into my ribs, and then I see him go down too.

It takes just a few more seconds or minutes to realize that I've been shot.

Then I look up to see my father lying only a few feet from me, and I know he's been shot too.

* * *

**Oh, no! Another cliffhanger! This isn't happening!**

***laughs maniacally* Sorry. But don't worry. I'm working on the next chapter right now, and I'm putting this one really close to the top of my to-do list. **

**Who will it be? Carlisle or Edward.**

**Everybody have a great morning!**

**Later!**


	28. Caught in the Crossfire

**Okay, girls (not that you're all girls, I'm just saying). Here we go. Should I warn you ahead of time?**

**Fair enough that I probably should, if I do, then you'll just be terrified to read.**

**Promised I wouldn't leave you hanging for long, so please read with caution.**

**I don't own Twilight, but I think we'll agree that I'm messed up a little. Hm.**

**I also edit my own stories, so if you see any mistakes, let me know, and I'll do my best to fix it.**

**Don't say I didn't warn you.**

* * *

**Caught in the Crossfire**

Everything is muffled. My eyesight is blurry. My hearing is splotchy. I can smell flesh burning, but I don't know where it's coming from. There are loud bangs everywhere, but after about a dozen or a hundred or a thousand, it all stops.

Everything stops.

My heart is pounding. I can feel my life slipping out of me. It's worse than it was before. I know I won't last much longer.

I need to know one more thing before I die.

With my head on an unbalanced swivel, I look up and then down. Side to side.

Where's my father?

"Edward."

His voice pierces through everything else, and somehow, in the chaos, I find him.

Without worrying about my own wounds, which are, needless to say, substantial, I roll onto my chest, rise to my hands and knees and crawl toward him as slowly as I possibly can. He's lying on the floor, in the dark, with his hand pressed to his gut. I somehow know this is where he's wounded.

"Dad, what are you doing here?" I ask softly.

He grabs my hand, and his is wet and sticky. "I had to get to you," he tells me. "You're my son. You're my responsibility. Your mother would be so angry with me if I let anything happen to you."

He groans then, and in the darkness, I can barely make out the pain on his face.

"Edward."

This time, my name comes from above, and I look up to see Peter there with Irina and Benjamin.

"It's done," he says with clear finality. "Aro is dead. Felix and Demetri too."

"Vladimir?" I ask hoarsely.

Irina grins in the light shining on her face. "Dead. It is over."

With that, I look at my father. I think he knows what I'm about to say, and instead of letting me say it, he lifts his hand to my face.

"You're hurt," he says, like it isn't already obvious. "Of course, I knew he would do something like this to you once he caught you. Your mother is so worried about you. Son, I'm so sorry."

"Did Bella make it to the city?" I ask instead of the question I really want to ask.

"Yes," he says, and I sigh with relief. "Jasper and Emmett arrived only a few hours after you were taken. I pulled together a team as soon as I could, but I made sure they kept her safe. Her parents as well. You did the right thing protecting them. I knew you would."

Irina kneels on his other side, but he doesn't look surprised to see her. Of course he shouldn't. She probably called him to let him know what she was doing — while I was in transit. She touches his shoulder and then takes his other hand.

All around us, my father's men are shouting, trying to get power back to the building, and I know I need more medical attention than what's available now. I look up at Irina to see a cut on her cheek and blood in her left eye, but other than that, she looks all right.

"Edward," she says, "we must get you back to the infirmary. There will be time to talk then. Everything is all right now."

No time is given for me to really do much more than that, and Peter helps me to my feet before Benjamin and another team member pulls my father to his feet. We're both taken back to the infirmary while the others continue working to secure the building, and I have to work harder to keep my consciousness aware of what's going on.

It all moves by so fast from there to the cleanliness of the infirmary where I'm set up on the table I was just laying on so Peter can do what he needs to get the bullet out of my body. I know without being told that there's not a lot they can do for my father. He's bleeding too heavily, and they don't have the supplies to help him out of the building and get him to the hospital.

Before Peter has a chance to start with me, I move to my father's side, seeing the blood from his wound and then looking at his face as he takes my hand again.

"Tell me the truth," I plead. "Before anything else happens. I need the truth, Dad."

For a few seconds, it seems like he might resist, but then he sighs and squeezes my hand.

"Irina called me two days before you did, while you were on your way to Forks," he says softly, exhaling heavily. "I didn't want to believe her at first, because it didn't make sense. I'd been so careful, and you're instincts were so much better than mine. Why would Aro target you because of me? He could have just sent for me and done it himself before you even knew. But that's why he did it. Because he knew you were too good at what you do. Irina told me about the assignment, and she said you needed to be warned. I should have warned you. But if I did that, we both would have died. And Bella and her parents would have died."

"You don't know that," I say, shaking my head. "Didn't you trust me?"

"It wasn't about trust, Edward. It was about knowledge. And . . ." he pauses, groaning over his pain and then huffing again while still holding my hand. "I thought you would be safe. If I didn't warn you, then James would go through with his plans, and you would realize it before he could do any harm to those people. When you called and told me what you had done, I knew he was testing us both. It didn't make sense, but I knew it. And that was when I called Jasper and Emmett. I knew they would find you and help you. I wasn't really counting on Siobhan because she was supposed to be doing reconnaissance on Eleazar, but when we got the report that she had been captured, I started putting together a team in case something like this happened. It was only a matter of time before you gave yourself up."

"For Bella?" I ask shaking my head again.

"No. For me. And for your mother and Alice. It's who you are, Edward. It's who you've always been. You learned that all on your own. I never had to teach you."

"Does Mother know you're here?" I ask — more like demand.

"Of course she does," he says with a hint of a grin. "She's the one who told me to come. I was worried about you too, Edward. You're my son."

He coughs, and blood streams down his cheek. He grabs my hand with surprising strength and pulls me closer so he can whisper to me. "If Aro is dead and I die, then it's on your shoulders now. I failed you, Edward. Please forgive me."

After so many years of killing people and not feeling a single bit of it, this is only the second time I've had to watch someone I love die, and it fucking hurts. Even with me bleeding and my life literally spilling out of me, it doesn't compare to the tears in my eyes or the fact that there's this pain in my chest that I've never felt before. Not even when Kate died.

"Dad, no," I whisper, even though he smiles and lifts his hand to my face.

"I love you, Edward," he breathes. "You're the best son any man could possibly ask for. I just wish I'd realized that sooner."

"Dad, don't leave," I say, my voice a little stronger.

His eyes start to close, and I yell at him.

"Dad, no!"

A little flicker of light moves across his eyes, but then he's gone.

My father is dead.

I'm twenty-six years old, and my father is dead.

I must stand there for what feels like only a few seconds, because when Peter tries to pull me away from the body under my hands, I shout at him.

"Leave me alone!"

"Edward," Irina says sternly, and I look at her. "He is gone. I am sorry. But we can save you. It is all right."

Without saying anything, she moves around to my side and pushes me back onto the bed where I was earlier. I watch as she finds a blanket and lays it over my father's body, covering his face just before I slip under the anesthetic Peter has injected into me.

I have the weirdest dream while I'm under, and I know I'm dreaming because for the first time in years, I'm standing in my mother's family home as a child waiting for the rain to stop so I can run out to the lake and jump off into the water. I'm probably ten, and the towel on my shoulder feels like it weighs a ton because it's one of those big beach blankets that has probably never seen the sand on a beach in its life.

"Waiting?"

I look up and see my dad as he stands there with a coffee mug in his hand.

"Yeah," I say, looking out the window at the pouring rain.

He stands with me for a few minutes without saying anything, and when I start fidgeting, he lays his hand over my shoulder and laughs. "Maybe you should really wait in the front room," he says. "I think Alice and your mom are going to watch a movie."

Alice is only a toddler. What kind of movie are they going to watch that I haven't seen already?

When I don't move, he leans over to be level-eyed with me. "It's nice here, isn't it?" he asks. Then he adds, "well, when it's not raining."

I nod. "Yeah. And sometimes even when it's raining."

He nods. "True. How about we go check the weather report, hmm? Wouldn't want you to miss any quality time with the lake, would we?"

For a few seconds, I don't want to move, but then I relent and lift my hand to his, following him to his office where I know he keeps much more than just weather reports. I look back at the door just as we leave the back room of the house, somehow knowing I won't be going outside at all.

"_Edward."_

This strange voice echoes through my head, pulling me out of the deep well I've fallen into, and a warm hand slips into mine.

"_Edward."_

I open my eyes slowly, taking in the dim white light above me and then the face beside me as she smirks behind a stitched cheek and clear blue eyes.

"Welcome back," she says.

She looks behind her, and then I do, seeing Peter and Benjamin as they whisper in a corner, and when she looks at me again, her smirk is gone.

"My father?" I whisper.

With a gentle bite of her lip, she puts her head down and shakes her head. "I am sorry. He is gone."

I want to be pissed at him for not telling me about Aro's plans. I want to punch something for having to go through all of this and then lose someone I care about just like I knew I would when all of this started over a week ago. I want to yell at him for thinking he could control something like this and then dying right in front of me. Jesus fucking Christ, I want to point my own gun at him and shoot him myself.

But instead, all I can really do is lie there and start sobbing. All I do is clench my jaws and squeeze Irina's hand because she's offering it. All I can do is wish to rewind time so I can look at him again and sit with him again and tell him he was wrong. All I can do is lie there because the pain in my side makes itself known at that very moment, forcing me to feel like I've destroyed the very thing I set out to protect.

My family.

Someone yells. I think it's me. I'm not sure what I yell. I don't think it matters anymore.

What do I do now?

* * *

***Peeks out from behind hands covering my face* Please don't hurt me.**

**I know no one really wanted Carlisle to die, but I came to this conclusion that it was either going to be him or Edward. We won't go in to how I figured that out.**

**Just know that from now until the end, Edward will be a different man, as far as the business goes.**

**The next chapter might take a little while, but not long. Stay tuned, and I'd hug you all if I could.**

**Next time.**


	29. From the Ashes

**I know, I know. It's been . . . a while. And I have a bad excuse. My tumblr account has taken over my life. But I promise I've done everything in my power to put it to a minimum. Everything doesn't seem to be working.**

**Anyway, after that last chapter, I also figured everybody needed time to kind of grieve. I know I did. Carlisle.**

**So here we go with the moving on part. This is mostly Edward and Irina, and this is an important chapter.**

**Why? Edward has two choices. Three guesses what.**

**I don't own Twilight, which should be obvious, but still. Hey. I don't.**

**I also edit my own stuff, so if I've missed something, let me know. I'll try to fix it.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**From the Ashes**

In total, twenty-five men are dead. This is not including my father. It doesn't include him because he isn't being transported with the others. My mother will never forgive me if I allow my father's body to be transported home with Aro's men. So he's being taken on a private jet with me when I go home. On top of the dead, fifteen others have been injured, but with the infirmary relatively intact, nearly everyone has gotten patched up and gone back to securing the building.

I'm standing in Aro's office as it sets lit by flood lamps because the power hasn't been restored yet, and Irina is with me, waiting for me to make a new move. But I don't know what to do next.

"I always hated this room," Irina says from behind me. "Always so cold. Made me think of my Uncle Sergei and his stuffy mansion in Minsk."

For some reason I laugh. "My uncle had an old cabin where he kept junk he found in the woods. We went there every winter because he and my father liked to pretend they were close. But Alice and I always hated it. We had to share a bed in a room with our cousins, and one of them pissed in the bed all the time. They were always getting up and waking us to go to their mother's room. Alice and I never got any sleep. We _hated_ it there. We were both happy when we stopped having to go."

"What happened? Did your father simply stop going?"

"No," I say. "My uncle died."

She doesn't say anything else, and when I move toward the case where Aro kept his trophies, Irina moves with me.

"How many people did you kill for him?" Irina asks.

"Too many," I reply.

"And how many trophies did you bring back for him?"

I can only hang my head as I remember all the people I've killed for the man whose office we're both standing inside. There must be hundreds. But I can't tell Irina that. Not now. "It doesn't matter," I say. "What matters is that it's over now."

"Over?" She says. "Just because Aro is dead doesn't mean this is over."

She's right, and I know that.

Inside this case in Aro's office, there are more trinkets than I can look at in one sweep, but my eyes land on the locket I took from Irina. Or well, from the woman she sent out in her place. Without saying anything to her, I open the glass doors and pick up her necklace, turning to her as she watches me with the strangest expression on her face.

"This belongs to you," I tell her, stepping up behind her to clasp the locket around her neck. "I guess it's good that I took it off that woman, whoever she was."

She doesn't stop me, even moving her hair out of the way and then taking the locket in her fingertips to look at it once it's on. She looks at me after a few seconds. "Thank you. I felt naked without it. When my father gave it to me, I swore I would never take it off." The smile that's formed on her face fades a little. "Of course, that was before I began training, and . . . before I went on my first mission."

Gently, I squeeze her shoulder and turn back to the case. "We have to do something with all of this," I say of all Aro's souvenirs. "Surely, these people's families will want a piece of the person they lost."

"I'll find something to put it all in," Irina says before moving off toward Aro's desk.

Of all the things Aro has displayed, I recognize several the items I've brought him, and I start with all those. There's jewelry, antique silver tea service sets (that astonishes me the most), articles of clothing, bronze medals and other assorted valuables that were more than likely taken either from the person who was killed or the place they were killed inside before being cleaned. I take mine first, and Irina finds hers.

We're situating all of it on the desk when Peter comes in with the satellite phone.

"Ed, I got Jasper on the phone like you asked," he says as he hands me the phone.

I take it without hesitating, moving off to a darker corner of the office. "Jasper," I say as soon as I bring the phone to my ear. "Please tell me Bella's safe."

"Of course she's safe," he says a little incredulously. "I've done this before, you know."

I have to sigh and turn my back to the room so Irina and Peter will know not to listen to me. "That's not what I mean. I just have to make sure she's okay. Aro is dead, and so is my father. Everything is dangerous right now, and it's only going to get worse. I need you to make sure Bella and her parents stay hidden until we get the Volterra building secure and send out a recall on all the agents still in the field."

Jasper's quiet for a minute or two, processing what I've said. "Aro had a lot of field agents who were loyal to him. Telling them he's dead will be worse than setting off a shrapnel bomb in a heavily crowded area."

At that, I scoff. "Tell me about it."

Again, Jasper's quiet, still thinking. Then he says, "If Carlisle was alive, he would put together a team to track all of them down. They need to be brought in or put down. Except —"

"My father's dead," I remind him even though it's clear he doesn't need reminding. "And we have to regroup before we do that. Is the building secure in Chicago?"

"Has been since Carlisle left," Jasper says. "He had us increase security at all the weakest points, and most of the people here are loyal to him. We haven't told any of them that he's dead. I think they'll figure it out eventually, but I'm pretty sure they'll do whatever you tell them to do. You're his son, Edward. Chain of command."

Jasper's words actually make me a little sick to my stomach, especially considering that I've always been uneasy about the fact that I always knew it would be that way. Aro never picked a successor because he never believed he would die. My father was never that arrogant. He was always so certain something would happen to him because of what he did, and he always had a contingency in the event that he left home and never came back. It's why he taught my mother how to fight, and it's why he taught Alice how to use firearms.

Now that my father is dead, all the people loyal to him will be loyal to me.

But I never wanted that.

"Edward," Jasper says after I've been silent a few minutes. "We had to tell Esme. She's coordinating things right now, but any minute, I think she's going to — "

He stops and doesn't say the word I know he's thinking.

Collapse.

I know that's what she'll do the instant she has the chance.

She and my father have been, I mean, _were_ married for even longer than I've been alive. He was the only man she ever loved, and she was the only woman he ever loved. I know this because they always told me. They were more devoted and protective of each other than any other married couple I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot on assignments where Aro suggested using a spouse to make the other talk or break. If it had been _my_ parents, neither one of them would've cracked, and they both would have died.

As it is, I've spared more wives than Aro thinks. None of them have thanked me or anything, but I've let them live and left them alone. I did those things because I was a field agent, and it was believed that I had to do as I was told. That wouldn't be possible if I was in charge. I would have to make decisions and target people who didn't deserve to be targeted. I don't know if I can do that.

"Ed," Jasper says. "What do you want to do?"

With a glance over my shoulder at Irina and Peter, I do the only thing I can at this moment. "We have to find out how many there are still out," I say of Aro's remaining field agents. "And we have to come up with a plan to get them. It won't be easy, and it won't happen overnight. I need you and Emmett to coordinate with Peter and find out everything you can. In the meantime, I'm coming home to bury my father. And to make sure Bella and her parents are okay. Once that's done, we'll move on to the next thing. All right?"

"We'll see you when you get here," he says, and then he's gone.

I turn around to find Irina and Peter waiting, and I give the phone back to him while explaining. "I need someone here I can trust to handle things," I tell him. "And right now, that's you. Think you can run this place until we figure out what to do?"

He scoffs lightly. "Well, it won't be easy," he says. "And most of these guys will probably grumble a little since they thought this was just gonna be a grab and go, but I think we can do that. It shouldn't take much to get a list together now that his other men have surrendered. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet," I say, shaking my head. "I have to take this one thing at a time. First, I have to get home and make sure everyone else I care about is all right, including my mother and sister since I haven't talked to them this entire time. You might want to get started on that list. Most of Aro's field agents are, well, out in the field. They're all good at hiding, even with their trackers, which they hopefully haven't ripped out yet."

"Right," he says, nodding and then leaving without another word.

Once he's gone, I turn to Irina, slipping my hand into my pocket where Kate's necklace has been since I took it off her a week ago.

"You should probably have this," I say, handing it to her and watching a little bit of the strength in her eyes fade.

She doesn't say anything for a few minutes, clenching her fist around the necklace and allowing a few tears to fall before she looks at me. "I always knew I would lose one of my sisters one day," she says. "And I always knew it would be Aro who got them killed. Even if someone else pulled the trigger." She pauses and steps closer to me. "I knew about the two of you. Katrina was always more worried about you than anyone else, and I knew she would follow you even if it meant she would die. It is not your fault she died, Edward."

Nothing she's saying is doing anything to make me feel any better, even if I know she means what she says. Kate has only been dead five days. It feels like an eternity has passed since then, but the reality of it is that if I hadn't defected, I could've saved her. Like I saved Bella. If I'd kept my head when James had tried to shoot Bella's mother, none of this would be happening. Well, okay, maybe some of it would have happened. But Kate would be alive if I'd just killed James when I had the chance.

Wouldn't she?

Irina must see the conflict on my face, because she steps even closer and cups my cheek in her hand. "You did not kill her, Edward," she says as gently as she can. "She made her choice. She chose to take revenge, and that is what got her killed. I am more to blame for her death than you are. It is because I allowed her to believe I was dead that she chose to take revenge on that swine who shot her. You gave her something this place would have kept from her if it had been anyone else in your shoes. You were her friend, Edward."

"I was her death sentence," I shout, pushing away and picking up the first thing I can to throw at the rest of the display case. It smashes with a loud crash, and other little trinkets hit the floor with a tinkling sound that belies how massively pissed off I am.

"You were her savior," Irina shouts back. "You gave her a little piece of her humanity back. If she had not cared for you, she would not have gone after you." She grabs my arm and turns me to face her again. "You want to know something about the man I loved? He was warm and kind and funny, and he made me feel human again. I was not meant to have a life, and now, I know I will never have the one I wanted. But for even the smallest time, I had someone in my life who loved me with every ounce of everything he could, and I loved him. You have that chance now, but you must forgive yourself before any of that is possible. Remember my sister, mourn her, but do not blame yourself for what happened to her. That was my fault."

She takes my hand then and lays Kate's necklace inside my palm. "Give this to a girl who needs it," she says. "Someone who deserves it. Katrina would want that."

Irina only gives me half a minute to really look at the locket in my hand before she takes out her own phone which has apparently been on her this whole time.

"We must call Tanya," she says. " With Vladimir, Aro and Carlisle all dead, this changes things."

This is all she has to say. I know it's true even more than she does.

It takes only a few minutes to really explain to Tanya everything that's happened. Because Vladimir left with half his men and half of those are dead in the building around me and Irina, there is no one left the control the others, and a turf war is about to ensue. Tanya isn't surprised about Aro's or Vladimir's death, but when I tell her that my father is dead, I can hear over the phone that she isn't expecting it. Honestly, I wasn't expecting it either, but I'll have time to grieve later. I hope.

Right now, we all need to make plans.

"How soon can you get to Budapest?" Irina asks her sister over the phone.

"By tomorrow," Tanya says.

This tells me that she is probably somewhere far away, but Irina doesn't let this stop her.

"Get on your way now," she tells her sister. "I will meet you at the safe house, and we will go to Vlad's main base of operations there. They still think I am with them. They will listen to me."

"Be careful, sister," Tanya says before she hangs up.

Irina turns her attention to me once that's done. "You know all of Aro's men will try to retaliate now that he's dead," she tells me, as if I need reminding. "And it won't be like when you get back to Chicago. Carlisle's men will follow you, but Aro's territory is too big. Someone will try to take his place if you do not."

Just then, the main lights all come to full brightness, and the darkness outside is obscured by the whiteness of Aro's office. I look around without saying anything, seeing how wrecked it really looks. The chair I was sitting in not so long ago serves as a reminder of how close I actually came to giving up, and I'm actually ashamed to say that I wasn't wrong wanting all of it to be over.

This was never really the life I wanted. I don't know anymore what that could've been. I was so young when I started training that there was no other option for me, but now, what do I do with the rest of my life?

Do I go home? Do I forget everything my father taught me because I think I've earned it? Earned what? All I've done all my life is exactly the opposite of what he wanted for me. He wanted me safe and happy. Now I've literally shot all of that to hell.

"Edward," Irina says after I've been quiet a minute. I look at her, and she steps closer to me. "Someone has to assume control."

In her vague, superior way, she's telling me more than I need to know. She's telling me that it's me who has to do that.

She knows it. My father knew it. Aro and Vladimir probably knew it too. Whatever I've done in the last eight years of my life, somehow I've garnered the kind of respect and admiration that's made me the only person capable of keeping this from turning into a complete clusterfuck. And I can honestly say that I'm not even a little happy about that at all. In fact, this is what pisses me off the most.

Why me?

Why not Jasper or Emmett? Why not Irina or Tanya?

What's so goddamn special about me? I'm a complete screw-up, and the only people who really believe in me have all gotten themselves kidnaped, tortured, killed or worse.

Somehow, I realize this is when I know that Irina and my father and probably anyone else who thinks it is right. I'm the only one who can do this.

But how?

When this question fills my head, I look at Irina and ask her this. "How?"

She lays her hand on my shoulder. "Do what you know is right," she says. "Because your father was doing this right. His men were loyal to him because of who he was, not because they feared him. You do what is right, Edward. You make things different. Better."

With that, I look around the office, at Aro's trophies, the chair I almost died in. Slowly, I agree with her. "Things will be different," I say, acknowledging everything she's said with just one look.

"I will help you," she says, squeezing my shoulder. "Tanya and I will both help you."

I take her hand in mine, and we stand there a minute before moving to do what we began to do before I shouted at her.

"It won't be easy," I say. "Aro's territory will have to be restructured. No one can manage that much space without a little help."

"It will be the same with Vladimir and Stefan's people," she agrees. "But we can do this. We can be better than the men who made us into these killers. We can be protectors now, Edward."

I don't say anything to that. For now, we'll just pick up the pieces.

* * *

**As above, so below, because I honestly don't know when the next chapter will be ready. But I will say there are only a few left. How can that be? Well, this can't go on forever no matter how much we wish it could.**

**Also, remember what I said about my tumblr taking over my life? It's new, addictive and underappreciated. At least by me, because I abuse the hell out of it.**

**Want to know who I am? Give me a review, and let me know if you have one too. Can't say for sure that I'll follow back because I already follow too much shit, but if you're awesome (which let's face it, everyone is) I might already be following you.**

**Anyway, enough about me. Thanks for reading. We'll see you next time!**


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